Lost and Found
by BernerMom
Summary: Hermione's new fiance is killed during the final battle. A few months later she finds herself pregnant with his child. What happens when she finds herself friends with Slytherins who were able to avoid the reach of the Dark Lord, including the one who was best friends with her fiance? Rating may change depending on how the story goes. AU, EWE
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second time diving into the world of fanfiction and playing with the characters that JK Rowling created. Everything recognizable obviously belongs to her. This will be a handful of chapters. I currently finished chapter four and I cannot guarantee any posting frequency, but I will do my best. I only have a couple more weeks until school starts back up and I once again become engrossed in the world of Math and Statistics, so I will hopefully have it completed by that time.**

 **Once again, thank you to my wonderful Beta stehalopolisO9!**

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 1

She couldn't believe it. Things like this didn't happen to her. She was too smart to allow something like this to happen.

But it did happen. The glowing golden orb that rested above her abdomen was proof. Hermione Jean Granger was pregnant.

The worst part was that she would be raising this child alone. The one man who had truly loved her had been killed during the Final Battle at Hogwarts the prior month. She had found Viktor Krum at Hogwarts where the Order had been gathering before the onslaught of Death Eaters attacked the castle. She remembered how they had snuck off to an empty classroom where they had made love, their feelings for each other overwhelming them.

 _As the sun peeked through the classroom window, they both stirred. Hermione snuggled in closer to Viktor's chest, not wanting to admit that the day would bring the end of the war, one way or the other. Viktor held her close, kissing her neck gently._

" _I luff you Mina. You are my vorld and I vill do ef-rything in my power to ensure your safety. Vhen this is all ofer, I vant to marry you. I vant to spend the rest of my life vith you. Vill you marry me?" he whispered softly in her ear, holding out a beautiful ring for her._

 _Hermione stared in awe at the beautiful ruby surrounded by white diamonds, on a platinum band. She turned and looked him in the eye, tears shimmering in hers. "Of course I'll marry you Viktor! You are my world and I can't imagine living without you in my life. I love you so much!" Viktor pulled her to him and kissed her deeply._

 _They made love one more time before dressing and returning to the Room of Requirement to prepare for the Final Battle. She watched him gather his team, preparing to take to the skies and attack the Death Eaters from above. He was the last of his team to leave the room. Just before he exited, he turned and looked to her, kissing his fingertips towards her and mouthing 'Obichem Te, my Love,' then he was gone._

 _Several hours later, the battle was over. Harry had defeated Voldemort and the Death Eaters had been gathered up. Hermione ran looking for Viktor. She called his name, desperate to find her fiancé._

" _Mina!" She turned abruptly hoping to find the large Bulgarian she loved. Instead, she found Lev, his best friend running towards her._

" _Lev! Where is he?" tears were starting to form_ _. She knew in her gut what was coming but she didn't want to hear it._ _"Please Lev. Is he in the hospital wing? I have to get to him! I need to make sure he's_ _okay._ _Please! I need to get to him!" Her words were coming out in a sob._

 _He held her tightly, letting her tears and the blood from her own wounds soak through his own shirt. "Mina, I am so sorry. I tried to save him, but ve vere attacked from behind and surrounded. He fought to protect you. Ve vere keeping them avay from you and Potter and a stray curse hit him and he fell. He did not suffer. He vas dead before he hit the ground. I am so sorry Mina. I vas too late to cast a shield. I am sorry!"_

" _NO! He can't be dead! He promised to marry me Lev! He can't leave me alone now! NO!" Hermione just screamed and cried._

The next month passed Hermione by in a blur. She attended funeral after funeral. Numbness overtook her. It was at Viktor's funeral in Bulgaria, where his parents offered what comfort they could to the Daughter-in-Law they would never have that she finally allowed someone to comfort her.

 _Mama Krum held the young girl close to her as they overlooked the river that was behind Krum Manor. "He loved you very much Mina. He had been carrying that ring with him since he left for your friend's wedding. He was going to propose to you that night, but then the attack happened and you had to leave. He kept the ring with him intending to give it to you the next time he saw you. He wanted you to know how much he loved you and wanted you in his life forever. No matter what happens, you will always be a member of this family. We love you so much."_

" _Thank you Mama. I don't know how I'll be able to come back here to Bulgaria. Everything here reminds me of him. It hurts so much to see it and know I'll never feel him wrap his arms around me_ _as we stand here looking over the river_ _. This is where he first told me he loved me. I'll never feel the wind against my face as_ _we fly over the grounds_ _. I would only fly with him because when he held me on his broom I knew nothing in the world could hurt me. I trusted him with every fiber of my being. He was my happiness. I'm so lost without him!" she said as tears trailed down her cheeks._

" _Do what you need to do child. Just know you will always have a home here. We love you dearly." With that, Mama Krum gave her a hug and turned and walked back to the manor._

Now here she was staring at the golden orb that was proof of her love for the best Seeker in the world of Quidditch, her fiancé, Viktor Ivanov Krum. She was now almost three months pregnant with his child and she was all alone.

Harry was busy taking care of little Teddy Lupin after the deaths of his parents and grandparents. He and Ginny had gotten married quickly and formed their own little family to provide Teddy with a loving home. Ron hated her because she loved Viktor and wanted nothing to do with her. She would never understand how he figured she would want to marry him when all they ever did was argue. He was always too selfish and immature. She needed someone older and more intelligent who could understand her thirst for knowledge and respect her even if he didn't understand her. Ron never respected her and she was constantly telling him she wasn't interested in him that way.

Molly Weasley never forgave her for breaking her little boy's heart and was busy mourning the loss of Fred and Percy. Ginny was of course too busy for their friendship; she was focused on her own family now. George was but a shell of the person he once was with the death of his twin, Fred. She never really knew the two eldest Weasley boys because of the age difference, but she knew that Bill was busy with his own family, and Charlie was back in Romania with his dragons. Arthur had moved out of the Burrow, trying to deal with his own grief while helping the wizarding world move forward. Molly's incessant gripping and badmouthing of Hermione, in addition to the stress of his position helping with the rebuilding of their world, was too much for him and he left.

She took a job at the Ministry as Arthur's deputy. Together they helped the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, try and smooth out post-war society. Feeling abandoned, she found herself becoming friends with other lost souls from the war. Blaise Zabini and his mother had escaped from England before the war to avoid being roped into supporting the Dark Lord. They had taken with them Adrian Pucey, a close friend of the family. Adrian's father had been forced into service during the first war and not wanting his son to be a part of it, had him flee with the Zabini's.

Hermione had literally bumped into them on the streets of Muggle London, after leaving the Ministry one day.

 _She had been checking her purse for her house keys and ran directly into a firm wall. As she stumbled back and started to fall, she was caught by strong arms that kept her on her feet. Apologies pouring from her mouth, she looked up into the amused faces of Adrian and Blaise. Both men watched as the color drained from her face and a flash of fear was covered by determination as she began to reach for her wand._

" _Easy there Granger. We come in peace," Adrian said, raising his empty hands in front of him non-threateningly._

" _Are you hurt Bella? Did this big brute injure you in any way? Please accept my most sincere apologies," Blaise interjected._

 _Hermione just stared at the two men, unsure of how to take them and their comments._

 _Trying to ease her mind some more, Blaise quickly rolled up his left sleeve, showing her the bare skin beneath. Adrian quickly followed suit wanting to put the young woman at ease. "See Bella, we did not follow the ways of our housemates. We do not wish to harm you in any way."_

 _Hermione stared at the two men for a moment, her heartbeat returning to normal. "I..I'm sorry. It's just an automatic response any time I see a Slytherin. I know it's unnecessary, but after having so many of them trying to kill me for so long, it's a Pavlovian response in me. I need to get past that since most that were actually Death Eaters are now in Azkaban or dead. May I buy you gentlemen a cup of tea or coffee to make up for my rudeness?"_

 _Blaise and Adrian looked at each other in shock before looking back to the sad looking war heroine._

" _We would love to join you for some coffee, however it will be our treat. A lady should never have to pay," said Blaise. "Come along Tesoro, we passed a quaint little café around the corner."_

" _A Muggle café?" clarified Hermione in shock._

" _Yes," replied Adrian. "While on the continent, we grew to appreciate the ways of Muggle life. I never did understand why there was the hate for Muggles. They really are quite brilliant with some of the things they come up with. I love a nice latte. Blaise here prefers a caramel macchiato."_

" _I love caramel macchiatos!" said Hermione in shock, looking at the handsome dark skinned man before her._

" _Lovely! Come now Tesoro, let us catch up."_

While the three sat around drinking their coffees, Hermione learned that Adrian and Blaise were having a hard time finding employment because they were Slytherins and had been friends with many Death Eater kids at Hogwarts. She realized they would be perfect additions to her team and helping rebuild trust amongst all in the Wizarding world. Firstly, they had been Slytherins. Secondly, because they were both well-spoken. They also agreed with needing the changes that Hermione and Arthur were wanting to implement. They had not supported Voldemort and had an appreciation for things Muggle. She eagerly introduced them to Arthur the next afternoon after she had broached the idea to him at an early morning meeting. Arthur had welcomed Blaise and Adrian onto the taskforce eagerly, trusting Hermione's feelings as she was rarely wrong about these things.

To show their appreciation in Hermione taking a chance on them, Blaise and Adrian took her under their wings and made sure she got out and did healthy things. They would go for walks at the park, and go shopping to ensure she had a decent wardrobe. Blaise even took her for a spa day to teach her how to take care of herself, letting her know she was worth it because she still had bouts of depression from nightmares of the war and Viktor's death. He forced her to endure a facial, a massage, a mani and pedi, and a new hairstyle. Finally, her hair was tamed from its frizz and now it hung in full, gentle curls about the length of her shoulder blades. With an education in magical makeup application charm, she was a stunning vision to behold.

Everyone assumed that Hermione was in a relationship with one of the two Slytherins, but they couldn't be further from the truth. In all honesty, it was Blaise and Adrian who were in the relationship, both preferring each other's company to that of any witch other than Hermione. In addition, she wasn't looking to be in a relationship with them. She was their little sister and woe be anyone who tried to hurt her, like Ronald Weasley. Together, they watched over Hermione and made sure she didn't self-destruct in her grief over the loss of Viktor.

Hermione slowly walked out of the bathroom of her childhood home that she now shared with the two Slytherins. Her parents had died in a boating accident while living in Australia and so the house had transferred to her. They all preferred living in a Muggle neighborhood to avoid the rumors and media from living in the Magical world. She had taken over the upstairs, making her bedroom the master with its ensuite. Her old room became a library and study, while the remaining bedroom remained a guestroom. Blaise and Adrian took over the in-law suite her parents had designed when her grandmother had lived with them for a few years. Hermione did most of the cooking as both pure-blood wizards were helpless in the kitchen. Once a week they would have a movie night where the three of them would cuddle together and share popcorn.

It was a comfortable life for them. Hermione was content, even though she was still mourning. She owed the two wizards so much for being good to her. Now she was going to be throwing them for a major loop by adding a baby to the mix in about six months. She hoped and prayed they wouldn't take off because she needed their friendship now more than ever.

Walking into the sitting room, she saw the two wizards. Adrian was reading a Muggle finance magazine, while Blaise read through a Quidditch magazine. "Well hello there Bella!" exclaimed Blaise when he saw her enter the room. Upon further examination of her face, he continued, "What is wrong, Tesoro?" He set the magazine on the end table and opened his arms to her. She crawled into his lap and buried her face in his neck. Adrian, seeing this, immediately walked over to them and sat beside his lover and began rubbing the back of Hermione.

"Come now, Baby Girl," Adrian said softly, "Tell us what has caused your tears."

Hermione's words were mumbled into Blaise's neck. The handsome, dark skinned Italian chuckled and leaned back. He removed the curls from her tear stained face, "Try again, Tesoro. Take a breath and tell us what is wrong."

Eyes closed, she took a deep breath and told her two closest friends the news she was sure would send them running from her. "I'm pregnant," she whispered.

Adrian and Blaise's eyes shot to each other. "Pregnant?" Adrian mouthed to Blaise silently.

Blaise took control. "Do you know how far along you are Love?" he asked hesitantly.

"Almost three months," she murmured. "It's Viktor's baby. We spent the night before the final battle together."

"Oh Baby Girl," Adrian said wrapping his arms around the young girl. "Shh, it's okay. We're here for you. Don't worry about a thing. We'll help you out."

Blaise gently wiped the tears from her face and lifted her face to look him in the eyes. "Oh my Tesoro. Please don't tell me you had such little faith in us to think we would leave you over this. You are our friend and we would never abandon you during a time like this."

"You're not upset? I know you guys didn't sign on for a baby in the house. I would understand if you didn't want to stay. It's a lot to handle," she said, trying to allow them an out of the situation.

"We're not leaving you or this baby. We'll be here for you through it all," confirmed Blaise.

"Now, let's call St. Mungo's and get you an appointment to check on the health of this little one. My Baby Girl's having a baby!" smiled Adrian, causing Hermione to give a watery chuckle.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Thank you so much for the reviews!** **I'm sorry I didn't get around to replying like I wanted.** **I've been away from my computer for over a week visiting relatives out of state.** **You don't know how much I appreciate all of the Follows and Favorites!** **I hope this next chapter lives up to expectations and that it is a little happier than the first.** **I've done a little rewording of some of the conversations at my beta's, stephalopolisO9, suggestion, so I take full credit to any and all errors that are found.**

 **Once again, all original characters belong to JK Rowling.** **I am just playing with her characters and literary world for my own amusement.  
**

* * *

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 2

It had been two months since Hermione found out she was pregnant, now she was at the halfway point of the pregnancy. She had been fortunate that she hadn't had to deal with morning sickness and overall had been rather happy with her pregnancy.

She would occasionally find herself smiling and rubbing her stomach thinking about the baby growing there. Then she would remember that Viktor wouldn't be there. He couldn't share her joy at seeing the images of the baby projected by the mid-witch's wand. He couldn't hear the heartbeat of the child the two of them had created. He wouldn't be there when she gave birth. He wouldn't ever be able to hold their child in his large, Quidditch calloused hands. Hermione knew he would have been a wonderful father because he was such a gentle giant. She also knew that he would have been so happy at the news of her being pregnant.

Today was Saturday and she was the first one awake. She was busy making eggs and bangers for her and the guys when she heard the sound of the floo.

"Hello?" a deep voice she didn't recognize called out.

Walking over to the doorway that looked into the sitting room where the floo was, her heart caught in her throat. Before her was the back of a tall, muscular wizard with black hair that was spiked up haphazardly.

Her heart started beating rapidly. "Viktor?" she whispered, before her eyes glazed over and she fainted.

"Hermione!" shouted Blaise when he entered the room. He raced to her side, taking out his wand and began running diagnostic spells on her.

"What the hell happened?!" shouted Adrian to the newcomer. "Marcus? What are you doing here? What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything! I just came through the floo and called out to see if anyone was home. I didn't know she was there until I heard her say 'Viktor'. I turned around and she fainted. Wait, did you say Hermione?" the man asked.

"Sorry, mate. She's just in a delicate situation and we're quite protective of her since the war, especially since her friends abandoned her," replied Adrian.

"Ade, I'll go take care of the breakfast, you take her up to her room and make sure she's comfortable. Marcus, you certainly know how to make an entrance, don't you?" Blaise stated.

Marcus watched as Blaise disappeared through the doorway Hermione had come from. Adrian hunkered down next to her to pick her up.

"Ow!" winced Adrian. "Marcus, can you help me out? I hurt my back playing Quidditch a few weeks ago, and as much as I hate to say it, I'm not made of muscle like you are. I can't lift her right now and I don't want to use magic on her. Would you mind helping me out?"

"Uh, sure…I guess…" he said while thinking to himself _Quidditch, right…_ He then looked down at the pretty young woman laying before him on the floor. Gently he knelt down and slid his arms under her small body, taking notice of her rounded stomach. As he stood up with her comfortably in his arms, he followed Adrian upstairs. He couldn't help but notice how perfectly her head nestled into the crook of his neck with her hair splayed out everywhere. She was extremely light, nowhere near a burden to his large, Quidditch molded muscles. _I could get used to this,_ he thought to himself before shaking the thought from his head as they entered a bedroom.

After he gently laid her on the bed, Adrian covered her with the blankets that were turned down. Turning, Marcus looked at his oldest friend, eyebrow raised in question.

"Marcus Flint, meet Hermione Granger, one third of the Golden Trio, and war heroine. She is also one of the most kind, generous, forgiving, and amazing witches your gruff-mean self will ever meet," Adrian told him quietly, not wanting to disturb the witch.

"That explains a lot. So which of you two got her pregnant, and why did she call me Viktor before she fainted?" Marcus asked.

"Oh damn. Weren't you facing her when she saw you?" Adrian asked.

"No, my back was to her," he answered gruffly.

"Turn around," Adrian ordered. When Marcus did, Adrian cursed softly. Quickly, he conjured a couple armchairs beside her bed and the two men sat down. "First, you know very well that Blaise and I are together, with no desire to procreate. Secondly, remember Viktor Krum?" he asked.

"That's a stupid question. He was my best friend, right up there with you and you know it! We played Quidditch together and would train together in the off season to stay in shape, usually staying at his family estate in Bulgaria. When he was killed, I was pissed because the ministry wouldn't let me go to his funeral. They had me under house arrest thanks to my arsehole of a father for being a Death Eater. It didn't matter that I didn't agree with his views and left like you guys to avoid being part of the war," Marcus fumed remembering his anger at not being able to say goodbye to one of his best friends.

"Well, you know he was engaged then," Adrian stated.

"Of course I did. He told me all about his Mina…oh bloody hell…Hermione is Mina!" Marcus dropped his head into his hands and thought _Shit!_ _No wonder she fainted!_ _She thought I was Viktor!_ Raising his head up, he looked despondently at Adrian and whispered "I forgot we looked so similar. She's going to hate me, isn't she?"

"No, we'll just introduce you to her and you can explain your connection to Viktor. It might actually help her," Adrian told him. He paused momentarily, looking his friend in the eye before quietly adding, "The baby's Viktor's, Marcus."

Looking up, he allowed one side of his mouth to quirk up in amusement. "Really? There's going to be a little Krum baby in this world? I bet his parents are thrilled!"

"She hasn't told them yet. They're coming to visit next month and she's going to tell them then. It's been hard on her knowing he's not going to be here. She's had a lot going on between losing Viktor, and being pregnant. Add in being abandoned by her friends…and well, we help her out as best we can, but she's still coming to grips with everything herself," Adrian told him.

"Ade?" Hermione's soft voice murmured from the bed.

Adrian was immediately on his feet and brushing the curls from her face. "Hey Baby Girl. You gave us quite a fright. How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?"

"Thirsty," she whispered.

Marcus immediately conjured a glass and filled it with water from his wand. Handing it to Adrian, he found his eyes drawn to the most beautiful whiskey brown eyes he had ever seen in his life.

She spotted him and her breath caught in her throat.

"I'm sorry," Marcus said trying to keep the roughness from his voice. "I didn't mean to scare you before Mina. I'm Marcus Flint. Adrian here is my oldest friend." He immediately winced realizing that he had called her Mina like Viktor always had.

Hermione caught the slip up as well. "Why did you call me Mina?" she asked, eyeing him cautiously.

"Sorry about that. It's a habit I picked up. I didn't realize who you were until Adrian here told me…" his words drifted off as he saw the confusion in her eyes. "Sorry. I was a good friend of Viktor's. I didn't know you were his Mina until Adrian explained it to me." Marcus took a breath and continued on. "You know, you were all he ever talked about when he wasn't talking about Quidditch. Please say you'll forgive me for scaring you earlier?" he asked her nervously.

Delight flashed across Hermione's face. "Oh you're Viktor's friend, Marcus! He would talk about you all the time. He would tell me about how the two of you would come up with plays together and design workouts that would lead to competitions between the two of you. I'm so happy to finally meet you," she told him. "How long are you in town?"

"Indefinitely. I just got into town last night," he told her. Looking to Adrian he said "I was hoping you might know of a room to rent since there's no way in hell I'm staying at my parents' manor." When he glanced back at Hermione he saw the confusion on her face and smirked before answering her unasked question, "I was just transferred to the Falmouth Falcons from Vrasta. I also don't want to deal with the media if I stay one more night at the Leaky. I like my privacy." Adrian watched the exchange silently, his Slytherin brain working overtime.

Hermione's face lit up. "Well, you can just stay here! I have a guest room just across the hall, and you also won't have to worry about the media because we're in a Muggle neighborhood," she informed him.

"I couldn't possibly impose," he tried, caught off guard by her kindness.

"Nonsense," she told him before turning to Adrian. "Tell him he has to stay here Adrian. Besides, I want to hear more about your time with Viktor. Has anyone told you that you look exactly like him from the back?"

Marcus chuckled. "Yeah, Mama Krum used to confuse us constantly when I stayed at the Manor and she couldn't see our faces."

Hermione climbed out of bed quickly and swayed slightly with dizziness. Marcus immediately reached for her, his arm wrapping around her and holding her steady. She looked up at him and gave him a shy smile.

"Thank you Marcus. We had better get downstairs to see if breakfast can be salvaged from Blaise's attempt at cooking."

Hermione led the way back downstairs, Marcus close by to ensure she didn't have another dizzy episode. Adrian smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to let Blaise in on this little development.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Here is Chapter 3!** **I actually had a different Chapter 3 written originally, but got a wild hair and the next thing I knew I had this and a new Chapter 4 as well!** **I hope you enjoy seeing a bit more background on Marcus and Hermione in my little dream world that is this story.** **I can't explain how much it encourages me to continue writing this story reading the reviews and seeing all of the new Favorites and Follows.** **Thank you so much to StephanopolisO9 for being my wonderful Beta!**

 **Once again, I own nothing from the HP universe.** **I'm just using JKR's world to give myself a creative outlet for my own mental well-being.** **The only thing I get from my writing is the happiness at seeing people's reactions here.**

* * *

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 3

Marcus finished showering after a long and trying practice. His new team was a good group of guys, but they were no Vrasta Vultures. He missed his Bulgarian teammates and the easy comradery they had. He never had to prove he was as a person, just as a player, having earned the title of Best Chaser in the International Quidditch League. When Falmouth had offered him a position, he had to think about it long and hard, whether he was ready to return to England. Ultimately, he missed his friends and since the war was over, he decided to give it a go and make the move. He figured if it didn't work out, he could always find another international team to play for.

Now here he was, his first practice as a Falcon in the books. He had received some nervous looks initially, but he let them roll off his back and did what he did best, play Quidditch. By the end of practice, the team thankfully seemed to have forgotten that his father was a death eater and accepted him as a part of the team.

"Hey Flint," called his new teammate Daniel Lloyd, one of the Beaters who was an American. "Did you get out of the Leaky yet?"

"Yeah," he replied as he pulled on his dark blue muggle jeans. "I moved in with some friends since they had a spare room."

"I'm betting you won't be spending much time there with all the witches throwing themselves at you," Lloyd chuckled, elbowing Marcus in the side with a wink.

"Not interested in sleeping around," Marcus stated, not looking at his teammate.

"What? You have a witch lined up already? Some pretty pureblood tart Mommy and Daddy lined up?" Lloyd teased, oblivious to Marcus' feelings towards his parents.

Marcus spun, grabbing Lloyd and slamming him against the lockers. "I wouldn't marry, let alone bed any witch my _parents_ lined up," Marcus snarled at him.

"Whoa man, sorry!" Lloyd held his hands up in submission. "I didn't realize that subject was off limits! I'll never bring up witches or your parents again!"

The action caught the attention of the rest of the team in the locker room and they rushed over to the two men. The movement around him brought Marcus back to the present as he slowly released Lloyd. Glaring at Lloyd, Marcus said, "I don't have anything to do with my parents and if you know what's good for you, you won't ever mention them again."

Lloyd quickly scurried away, only glancing back at the menacing Chaser briefly. Marcus collapsed onto the bench in front of his locker and put his head in his hands, trying to calm himself.

"Hey, you okay Marc?" asked Graham Montague, his old Slytherin teammate. They had lost touch after Marcus left Hogwarts, but now they were once again teammates. "What did that idiot say to you? I swear, he's said something stupid to everyone on the team."

Marcus looked up at Montague slowly before he replied. "He thought my parents had some witch lined up for me when I told him I wasn't interested in bedding every witch that comes along."

"Oh damn! He really stepped in it this time. He's said some pretty stupid stuff regarding the war because he's an American and has no idea what we all lived through. To him, Death Eaters are just something he's read about in the papers. He doesn't realize in a lot of cases they are family members we have nothing to do with anymore. He doesn't get it. Coach will not be happy about this," Montague told him.

"Great, my first day and I'm already in trouble," Marcus said exasperatedly.

"No, not you Marc," Montague said. "Lloyd. He's been talked to several times already about making comments like that, especially with the war. Coach has had it with him and will probably suspend him this time." Montague sat down beside Marcus before looking at him mischievously. "So, is there a witch that's caught your eye?"

Marcus rolled his eyes at his teammate's question. "Not that it's any of your business, but no, there's no witch. I just got moved back and I'm still dealing with the move and finally being out of my father's shadow."

"Where are you staying at? Want to go grab a pint?"

"I'm staying with Pucey, Zabini, and Granger. Actually, I have to get going. I told Granger I'd help her with dinner tonight since Pucey and Zabini are worthless in the kitchen," Marcus said standing up and pulling a clean black t-shirt over his head.

"Whoa whoa whoa…I know Pucey and Zabini, but who is Granger and did you say 'she'?" Montague asked, staring at his old captain.

"You know, Granger. The Gryffindor Princess," he said nonchalantly.

"What are you doing with her? She may have been one of the heroes of the war, but even Boy Wonder has nothing to do with her anymore. I've heard she ended up no better than a whore from Knockturn Alley."

Marcus closed his eyes, clenching his fists tightly at his sides. Without opening his eyes Marcus hissed "Montague, you really want to watch your next words."

Montague looked nervously at the fuming man in front of him. "Uh, well, that is to say, umm. I have no proof, I'm just telling you what I've heard. It's just a rumor mind you. I heard that the Weasel said she cheated on him and got herself knocked up. He said that she tried to get him to marry her but he didn't want her back. Again, don't kill the messenger!"

Slowly Marcus looked at his fellow Chaser. "I will say this once and only once. Mina was never with the Weasel. She was engaged to Viktor Krum and she is pregnant with his baby. Not once has she ever tried to get the Weasel to marry her. I don't think she realizes what is going to happen to her because she's a pregnant, unmarried witch. But if anyone hurts her, I swear to you, I will hurt them! Viktor was my best friend and I will take care of her for him." Marcus knew that since she was a Gryffindor and a Muggleborn, she wouldn't have a way to escape the way the Wizarding world shunned witches in her position.

"She was engaged to Krum? What happened?"

"He was killed in the final battle protecting her!" Marcus bellowed.

"Merlin. I had no idea. She just disappeared and the only one who's said anything about her is the Weasel. He was quite vocal about it a couple weeks ago at the pub. Potter was there and just kept silent the whole time. Wow. I can tell you this much, if she were a Slytherin witch, I can guarantee no Slytherin would be saying such things about her. They would be doing all they could to convince her to marry one of them."

"Well, she has Slytherin bodyguards now," Marcus snarled as he pulled on his dragon hide boots. Standing up, he pulled on a leather jacket and grabbed his equipment bag. He looked one last time at Montague and said, "Remember, she's living with three snakes now and we protect our own." With that, he stalked out of the locker room, oblivious to the rest of his teammates eyeing him warily.

As the door shut, the coach walked over to Montague, having listened in on the conversation. "So, how long do you think it'll be before he convinces her to marry him?"

Montague snorted and smirked at the coach. "First he has to realize that he's going to marry her, then he's got to figure out how to convince her to marry him. One thing everyone's said about Granger is that she is fiercely independent. She won't marry him just to save her own name. I honestly think she'll only marry for real love, especially if she was engaged to Krum. He'll have his work cut out for him, but I think we should help him out as much as we can without being obvious."

"True. We have the Season Home Opener Party coming up. I'll make sure he knows he has to bring a date, no exceptions." With that, the coach went back to his office calling "LLOYD! GET YOUR ARSE IN HERE!"

Hermione was working at the desk in her study. It was a small, cramped office across from her room and next to Marcus' new room. She was busy studying to sit in for her NEWTS. Professor McGonagall had let Hermione know that she might not want to return for her final year given the Wizarding world's view on witches in her situation. McGonagall had offered to set her up with any study materials she might need to study for her NEWTS, and access to speak with the Professors if she needed. Since that conversation, whenever Hermione tried to contact her old mentor, she was always unavailable. Hermione wasn't naïve enough to think that the wizarding world would accept her choice to have Viktor's baby even though she was unmarried. However, it still hurt to be basically rejected by her favorite professor, someone who she had looked up to most in the wizarding world.

She sighed deeply as she looked over her notes from the first six years at Hogwarts. Putting them away, she looked to the large stack of files that remained on her desk. They were full of notes she had taken while on the run the prior year. She had packed the seventh year texts she knew she would need and read them every chance she got. The information in them had come in handy more than once, often allowing them to identify edible plants (Herbology), new defensive spells (DADA), and Charms. The material she read about assisted them in hiding from Snatchers.

In all honesty, she knew she was more than prepared to sit for her NEWTS. However, since she was now pregnant, many of the practical parts of the exams would have to wait until after the baby came. She would have to wait until the birth of the baby.

Hermione had just put the files in her desk drawer when she heard the floo downstairs. She was about to stand up when she heard a growl and heavy footsteps on the stairs. Glancing at the clock on her wall, she realized that Marcus must be home from practice.

Smiling, she called out to him as he passed the doorway. "How was practice?"

Marcus spun around, wand at the ready. As soon as he saw her seated behind the desk, eyebrows raised in surprise, he let out a deep sigh and pocketed his wand quickly, before mumbling, "Sorry about that."

"I guess practice didn't go very well," she stated baldly. She watched the man before her. There was so much about him that was similar to Viktor, but at the same time so very much different. He had almost an identical build with the short, spiky black hair, and an ingrained love for Quidditch. That was where the obvious similarities ended though. Marcus had grey eyes that had a hint of blue in them. They had obviously seen a great deal of pain. His face was more square-shaped with a defined jawline and a firm nose that had seen a few too many Bludgers, but it fit his face. His hands were large and his fingers thick. They didn't have the finesse of Viktor's Seeker hands, but they could obviously protect the Quaffle and maneuver it through the hoops. Hermione could just make out a hint of the lost boy he had been upon leaving Hogwarts, but it wasn't obvious. To anyone who looked at him, he radiated strength and confidence. Smiling to herself, she knew she wanted to get to know this intimidating man before her.

"Practice was fine. We should do pretty well this season. I met the American on the team and he just didn't know when to shut his mouth. He forgets the war was only four and a half months ago and while he only read about it in papers, some of us had to live through it." Looking up at Hermione he rushed on, "I know I didn't fight in the war, but if I had stayed I would have been killed because there was no way I was taking that mark."

"I know it wasn't easy on you Slytherins who didn't agree with Voldemort. It was one of the things that I argued with the boys about the most. They thought that all you Slytherins were evil and had the dark mark. Even if you didn't, they figured you still agreed with the teachings. They refused to listen to me when I tried to explain how many of you had to leave the country because of those ignorant thoughts," she calmly told him. "The Light would never trust you and accept your help in the war, and the Dark wanted you dead. You had no choice. I certainly don't blame you."

Marcus sat in the chair across the desk from Hermione. "How long did it take you to trust Adrian and Blaise?"

"Honestly? I didn't at first. There were still many Death Eaters on the run and I didn't know their opinions on blood status. By the time we parted ways though, I knew I wanted them brought onto my team with Arthur. We've been inseparable since. I don't know what I would do without them," she told him.

"Why did you trust me so easily? You had very little experience with me while you were in school," he asked her.

"Oh that's easy! You were Viktor's best friend. He wouldn't have let you get that close to him or his family if you weren't a decent person. I trusted Viktor implicitly, therefore, I can trust you."

The way she said it so simply as if there was no way to even begin to argue with the opinion, baffled Marcus. Then he realized that it was the same way he regarded his opinion of her. She was Viktor's Mina and if Viktor trusted her, then he could trust her. No questions asked.

"What were you working on in here?" Marcus asked her, taking note of the empty desk between them.

"Oh, I was studying for my NEWTS. I'm not allowed to complete my seventh year because of the baby, but I will be allowed to sit in on my NEWTS. I just have to wait until after the baby arrives so I can complete the practical parts of the exams," she told him.

"Well, I have a lot of experience studying for the exams if you ever want someone to quiz you," he offered.

"I remember hearing something about that. Why did you retake your seventh year?" she asked him hesitantly.

"I got to Christmas break of my first seventh year and realized that it would be expected of me to join my father as a Death Eater as soon as I graduated. That was not an option for me, so I purposefully failed them so that I could take another year to figure out a plan of how to escape. It worked out well for me. When the last day of school arrived, instead of getting on the train back to London, I was able to get a Portkey out of the UK and ended up in Bulgaria. Best decision I ever made."

Hermione smirked at the dark man in front of her. "I figured it had to have been something like that. Viktor had a very low tolerance for stupidity, so I knew you had to be intelligent."

The clock on the wall chimed the hour and Hermione stood up. Marcus took note of the Muggle yoga cropped pants Hermione was wearing and the tiny t-shirt she wore that barely contained her stomach. Everything about her was perfect to him. While she was petite and fragile looking, she oozed strength and determination. She had plenty of curves in all the right places, while maintaining a muscular and toned body. Her hair which had once been frizzy and chaotic, was now long, silky, chocolate brown curls that looked like they would bounce back up if pulled. Her eyes were his favorite feature on her though. Whiskey colored, yet full of life and intelligence. He could easily lose himself in her eyes. Now that he thought of it, if he were to hand pick his ideal witch, he would pick every feature she had. With that last thought, Marcus shook his head back to reality. He couldn't be thinking of his best friend's girl like that. Or could he?

Marcus was quickly brought back to reality when Hermione's melodic voice drifted over him. "I better start dinner. You still plan on helping me out?"

A smirk crossed Marcus' face. "Well, it's not like you can get Blaise or Adrian to help you out there. Besides, I need to earn my keep here somehow. Lead the way my Lady."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Marcus' words and chuckled as she headed out of the room. "Better drop your bag off in your room first. See you downstairs. Let's see how those Quidditch toughened hands can handle slicing vegetables."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N ~ Thank you, thank you, thank you to StephanopolisO9 for being a wonderful Beta!** **Chapter 5 and 6 should be up pretty soon, depending on how much I get done on Chapter 7.** **I want to make sure I don't have a big gap in posting time.** **Thanks everyone for all the wonderful reviews!**

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 4

Two weeks later found Adrian, Blaise, and Hermione climbing the stairs at the Falcons' stadium for Marcus' first home game. "Come on Baby Girl, they're about to do the player intros and we need to be in our seats!" pushed Adrian.

"Oh give her a break Ade. We have plenty of time yet," retorted Blaise as he escorted Hermione up to the team's family box.

Marcus had been sure to get his three roommates tickets in the family box because he felt Hermione would be more comfortable there. He had even given her a replica of his Falcons Jersey to wear for the game. Of course Blaise and Adrian had teased him about it, but Marcus brushed it off saying he wanted her to feel part of everything instead of out of place.

The three friends finally made it to their seats, Hermione seated between Adrian and Blaise, just as the introduction of the opposing team began. The Falmouth Falcons were playing against the Wimbourne Wasps. The visiting team flew out to mild cheers in their yellow and black uniforms. They were only slightly better than the Chudley Cannons, so it was sure to be a shorter game, which made Hermione grateful. She had been a staunch supporter of her house team at Hogwarts because of her friends playing, however she never really understood the game of Quidditch and therefore never really enjoyed the games she attended. She had loved to watch Viktor fly, but because of their distance and the war, she had only had a couple chances to watch him play outside of the 1994 World Cup, again causing her to lose interest in the game.

Hermione turned her attention back to the spectacle before her just as energetic music filled the air, reminding her of a muggle sporting event. Just then a loud boom was heard and smoke filled the air. Her mind went racing back to the war as she went to grab her wand, only to be held back by Adrian and Blaise who pointed to the smoke. She watched as the Falmouth Falcons burst through the haze causing the cloud to burst into a glittering dust that rained down on the spectators. Her eyes quickly found Marcus in the air and she let out a sigh of relief.

"WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE FIRST FALMOUTH FALCONS QUIDDITCH MATCH OF THE SEASON AGAINST THE WIMBOURNE WASPS! AND NOW, YOUR FALMOUTH FALCONS! AT SEEKER – TREVOR 'LIGHTNING FINGERS' STRIVELY. AT GOALIE – WAYNE 'BRICKWALL' BRICKMAN. AT BEATER – WES 'BLINDSIDE' KNIGHTLY AND SAM 'THE BEAST' WILSON. AT CHASER – DANIEL 'THE MOUTH' LLOYD, GRAHAM 'THRASHER' MONTAGUE. AND PLAYING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE GREY AND WHITE, 1998 CHASER OF THE YEAR MARCUS 'THE FIST' FLINT!"

The three friends cheered wildly for Marcus while trying to cover their laughter at the nickname the announcer had given him, no matter how fitting it was for the Chaser who was known for using his fists during the games. Marcus flew by their box in a blur of grey and white and rolled his eyes at their laughter before putting his full focus back on the game.

The game was fast and dirty. Hermione watched as several times two of the Wasps' Chasers tried to shove Marcus off his broom. Their Beaters were hitting the Bludgers at him as if he were the only player on the pitch. Needless to say, he earned his nickname that game, constantly using his fists to beat off the opposition. She yelled in anger at the official for letting the other team target Marcus like that, then turned around and cheered loudly as he scored goal after goal.

Viktor had been beautiful to watch when he went after the Snitch, but Marcus was poetry in motion as he zigged and zagged between the other players, constantly in motion. Never before had she paid as much attention to the actions of a Chaser during a Quidditch game. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. Occasionally, she would watch him make patented Viktor Krum moves, but they were all Marcus Flint. She smiled at these moves because she realized that it was a way that the man she loved would live on in the game of Quidditch without being obvious.

Several times throughout the match Adrian and Blaise would look at each other over Hermione's head and give each other knowing looks. Adrian had told Blaise about his plans to get the Gryffindor Princess and the Slytherin Captain together soon after Marcus showed up. Blaise had been unsure at first, until Graham Montague approached them the week before in Diagon Alley and told them about what had occurred in the locker room after Marcus' first practice. Once he learned that even the Falcons' coach was going to do what he could to get the two together, Blaise had no other course of action than to go along with the plan to encourage things between Hermione and Marcus.

The first step in their plan would be put into action that night at 8 o'clock. Coach Ivanov had informed the team that no Quidditch groupies would be allowed at the Home Opener Post Game Party and to ensure this, it would be a formal event. Then he dropped the bomb and told them they were each expected to have proper dates who could do more than put out. Marcus had tried to argue his case that he had only just moved back and didn't know anyone yet, but the Coach had just said, "Didn't I hear correctly that you live with a woman who is single?" Marcus stammered that he did, but his objections were overruled by his coach saying "I expect to be introduced to her at the party. Good evening Flint."

Blaise smiled as he remembered Marcus stumbling through the floo after his meeting with the coach.

 _The big man had stood dumbfounded for a few minutes, oblivious to Blaise's presence until Adrian came into the room and broke the tension by saying "Hey Marcus, what's wrong?_ _Something happen at practice?"_

 _"_ _Huh?_ _Oh, no…practice was fine._ _Uh, is Hermione around?" he replied._

 _"_ _Did I hear my name?" came Hermione's voice from the doorway leading to the kitchen._

 _Marcus' head snapped around to face her._ _"_ _Uh, yeah._ _Umm, I hate to ask this Mina, but I was informed by my coach that I have to bring a date to the Home Opener Post-Game Party._ _I tried to get out of it but he told me I was expected to introduce you to him."_

 _"_ _Introduce me?_ _Why would you need to introduce me to him?_ _Oh…you mean…Oh my," she stammered, a slight look of fear on her face._ _Did Marcus' coach think they were a couple?_ _Why would he think that?_

 _Adrian rushed over to her and wrapping his arm around her told her brightly "Finally!_ _Blaise and I can't wait to dress you all up._ _What kind of party is this Marcus?"_

 _"_ _What?_ _Oh, he said it's going to be formal this year because he doesn't want all the Quidditch groupies there."_

 _Blaise started picking up magazines from the end table beside him._ _"_ _Brilliant!_ _I always wanted to dress up Hermione after seeing her at the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament._ _We'll have to go shopping tomorrow to get you a dress and formal robes._ _I have several hairstyles I want to try out on you before the party."_ _Looking to Marcus he continued on "You will have not only the most intelligent witch on your arm at that party, but also the most beautiful by the time I get done with her._ _I have so much work to do to get ready," he rushed on standing up with all the magazines and heading to his and Adrian's rooms._

 _Adrian gave a shrug and said "It's Blaise._ _It's easier to just go along with him than to fight him._ _Marcus, I'll take you out tomorrow and get you a decent outfit to wear under your team formal robes._ _Don't give me that look._ _We both know you'll need help picking out something appropriate for this kind of event."_ _With that, he gave Hermione a peck on the cheek and followed his boyfriend to their room._

 _Marcus and Hermione stared at each other a moment trying to take everything in._

 _Hermione was the first to come to her senses._ _"_ _Do I want to know what just happened?"_

 _Marcus smirked and shook his head._ _"_ _Probably not, but like Ade said, it's just easier to go along with them rather than fight them."_ _He then walked slowly over to Hermione and took one of her tiny hands in his much larger one._ _"_ _Are you okay with this Mina?_ _If you aren't, I can figure something else out._ _I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation."_

 _Hermione was looking down at their joined hands as he spoke._ _She took a deep breath and told him "You're my friend Marcus and I would be happy to go to the party with you._ _I just don't want my situation to reflect poorly on you._ _I know that I'm not the best option of a date for you."_

 _"_ _Hey now," Marcus interrupted her, using his other hand, he gently tilted her chin up so he could look in her eyes._ _"_ _I would be honored to have you on my arm at the Party._ _You're not someone to be ashamed of, but rather someone I admire._ _And honestly, I can't believe I'm going to be lucky enough to have you there with me._ _Thank you."_

 _Hermione looked into his eyes and gave him a watery smile._ _"_ _Thank you Marcus._ _It's been so long since I've really felt good about myself._ _Everyone's made me feel like I'm a terrible person because I'm pregnant but you've never judged me about that._ _You do wonderful things for a girl's self-esteem."_ _With that, she took a handful of his leather jacket and pulled him down towards her so she could kiss his cheek._ _That done, she turned around and headed back to the kitchen._

The score was 190 – 40 in favor of the Falcons when the crowd went wild as they watched the Seekers come to life and speed through the other players in their pursuit of the Snitch. Normally, Hermione's eyes would be following the Seekers out of habit. She had spent five years watching Harry in the position and then watching Viktor. Today though, her eyes were drawn to an aggressive and determined player who remained unaware of the change in the momentum of the game as he plowed through the opposing team's players and threw the Quaffle through the center hoop one more time ensuring the Falcons' win regardless of who caught the Snitch.

Once again, Blaise and Adrian smirked at each other as she leapt up and cheered the goal Marcus scored. A moment later, the official called the game as Strively held up the Snitch in his fist ending the game with a score of 350 – 40. The crowd cheered and the Falcons' players took a victory lap. Hermione screamed and laughed in delight as Marcus flew up towards the team's family box, his fist raised in victory and bellowed "YEAH!" Looking towards the young witch, he sent her a smirk and a wink before flying off to the locker room to shower before heading back to the house to get ready for the party.

Blaise and Adrian quickly gathered their things and the tiny witch, rushing her out of the stadium. They had much to do to prepare Hermione for her first public appearance since the news of her pregnancy hit the wizarding world.

* * *

"Quit fidgeting, Marcus. You look great. Besides, no one's going to be looking at you when they see the gorgeous witch on your arm," Adrian told him.

Marcus glared at his friend, adjusting the cufflinks of his charcoal grey dress shirt. The shirt gave enough contrast to accent his black waistcoat trimmed in the same charcoal color, with a black and charcoal stripped long tie, and black slacks. The dark colors matched his dark persona. His team dress robes were draped over the back of the couch. They were black velvet, lined in dark grey with a thin white piping. Overall, he made a sleek and powerful image.

"Honestly Marcus, you have plenty of time to get to the party. It doesn't even start for another 20 minutes. Plenty of time. Besides, I know for a fact that she's ready and Blaise is just adding a few small touches. He really outdid himself dressing her. She's drop dead gorgeous if I do say so myself," Adrian continued on as he sipped on the glass of red wine in his hand, lounging in his favorite wingback chair.

Before Marcus could retort back to his friend, Blaise cleared his throat from the bottom of the stairs. "Gentlemen," he stated, "May I present, Miss Hermione Granger."

Three sets of eyes went to the top of the stairs. Marcus lost all ability to talk and think when his eyes fell on her. She was dressed in a soft ivory strapless dress. The bodice was covered in sparkling glass beads that drew the eye without being ostentatious. There was a wide vertical band of chiffon that separated the top from the skirt of the dress and rested above her rounded stomach. The skirt itself draped over her stomach gently in soft waves as it wrapped around her body, falling to the floor and leaving an open slit up the middle of her knees. On her feet were strappy ivory sandals that made her legs look like they went on forever.

His eyes slowly worked their way back up her body to her face. Her makeup was soft and highlighted her clear whiskey eyes. Blaise had fixed her hair in an elegant side ponytail, so it flowed over her left shoulder in thick spirals and was held with a simple beaded clip that matched the beading on the dress. Adrian was right – she was gorgeous.

"Will someone please say something? I feel really self-conscious right now," Hermione said before biting her lower lip.

Blaise and Adrian looked to Marcus, silently demanding that he say something.

He didn't disappoint. "You look like a princess," he told her reverently before walking to the foot of the stairs and offering her his hand encouragingly.

Hermione shyly headed down the stairs, a natural soft pink blush accenting her cheeks. When she was within reach, she eagerly gripped Marcus' hand and allowed him to assist her down the remainder of the stairs.

Adrian stood and crossed to Hermione. "You look stunning Baby Girl! If I wasn't with Blaise here, I'd be snapping you up and you would be the next Lady Pucey," he said with a cheeky wink before he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you Ade. I'm so nervous. Are you sure about taking me Marcus?" she asked hesitantly as she looked up at the imposing man beside her.

"Remember, I have a reputation for being a brawler. I'm not afraid to put anyone in their place should they dare make you feel uncomfortable. You're safe with me," he told her, leaving no doubt in her mind.

Looking up at him with a smile, Hermione said in a soft voice "Thank you Marcus."

Blaise, in an attempt to lighten the mood, rushed on "Will you look at the time!? You two will be late if you don't get going. Now, Hermione, here's your cloak." He went to drape the cloak over her shoulders, but Marcus quickly took it from his hands.

Hermione smiled up at him and turned so he could place the cloak on her shoulders. The thick ivory velvet cloak, lined in ivory satin draped elegantly over her dress. Marcus noted the delicate gold and silver embroidery trimming the edges and the hood. She turned to smile at him and he gently latched the delicate Celtic clasp at her neck.

"Thank you, Marcus," she whispered to him.

"My pleasure," he replied before grabbing his robes and putting them on. Walking over to the mantle, he picked up a small silver figurine. "We had better hurry. The Portkey leaves in about 30 seconds now."

Hermione's mouth formed a small "O" in surprise and she rushed over to him and placed her hand on the figurine. Marcus wrapped his arm around her to help make the travel easier. She barely got out the words "Bye Boys" before the pull of the Portkey was felt and they disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – What can I say, I've been busy writing, so here is another chapter.** **Also, chapter 6 is complete as well and 7 and 8 are with my wonderful Beta StephanopolisO9!**

 **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and followed and favorited my story.** **The feedback really does encourage the writing.**

 **Once again, I own nothing from the HP universe, I'm just playing with the characters for my own enjoyment.** **Thanks!**

* * *

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 5

It was a good thing Marcus had wrapped an arm around Hermione as her landing was less than elegant when they reached their destination.

"Oh!" she gasped as she clung to Marcus to gain her bearings. "I will never get used to that. I swear."

Marcus chuckled and tried not to enjoy the feel of the tiny witch in his arms too much. _She's still mourning Viktor and he was my best friend._ _I shouldn't be this attracted to her,_ he scolded himself. "All stable now?" he asked her.

"Yes, thank you Marcus," she said smiling up at him. Pulling away from him finally, she looked around, taking in her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"We're at Coach Ivanov's manor. He wanted a formal event without the public spectacle. He opened his ballroom for the party," he told her as he offered his arm to her so they could walk to the carriages waiting at the front gate, taking them to the front doors of the manor.

"It's beautiful!" she gasped. "So is it just a team party then?"

"I wish," Marcus snorted. "No, unfortunately, we still have all of the managers, office employees, sponsors, and of course the token Ministry Department of Magical Games and Sports representatives. We just don't have all the groupies and Quidditch wannabes crashing the party this time."

"Well, then it could be worse, right?" she asked him hopefully.

"I guess you could look at it that way. Shall we?" he asked as he opened the door to the carriage in front of them and assisted her in.

"Hey Marc! Wait up!" called a voice.

Marcus looked over his shoulder and saw Graham approaching them with his wife. The two men shook hands and Graham helped his wife into the carriage before they joined the two witches.

Graham smiled and said "You remember Abigail, my wife."

"It's a pleasure to see you again Abigail," Marcus told the witch, kissing her knuckles. "Allow me to introduce Miss Hermione Granger. Mina, this is my teammate Graham Montague and his wife Abigail," he said making introductions.

Abigail smiled kindly at Hermione. "It's so wonderful to have the opportunity to meet you Miss Granger! I must thank you for all you did for the wizarding world during the war. It is a great honor to meet you!" she told her genuinely.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you," Hermione told her politely.

Graham took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Yes, if it wasn't for you, I hate to think what our lives would be like now."

Hermione blushed deeply. "Everyone did their part in the war and it was everyone together that led to the defeat of Riddle."

Smiling at her Graham told her "You are nothing like your two friends from the war. It's quite refreshing I must say. Having come from Slytherin House, I thought all Gryffindors, while undeniably brave and stubborn, were also attention seekers. But that's not you at all, Miss Granger. From the stories I've heard about you, with your realism and determinism as well as your ambition, cunning and ability to adapt, you would have been an ideal addition to Slytherin if it wasn't so dangerous for you at that time. You're practically perfect without trying."

"Please, call me Hermione. I wouldn't say that, though. There are plenty of things people find undesirable about me," she told them as her eyes drifted down to her hands that lay in her lap.

Marcus stared at the young witch beside him frowning at the way she put herself down. Before he could stop himself he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him, and told her "There is nothing undesirable about you."

Abigail wrapped her arm affectionately through her husband's and smiled knowingly up at him. Graham just smirked at his teammate before he leaned over and kissed his wife on her forehead.

When they reached the front doors to the Ivanov's manor, the wizards escorted their witches in to the party. Hermione smiled at the house elf that opened the door and took their cloaks. It warmed her how nicely dressed and relaxed he was. That was one thing she had learned from the Hogwarts elves right after the war – the elves who were happy were very relaxed in their stature, while remaining professional. If they were nervous and skittish, then she knew they were treated poorly.

"Oh Hermione!" exclaimed Abigail. "Your dress is beautiful!"

"Thank you," Hermione replied bashfully. "I wish I had the figure for a dress like yours. I never had the body to wear something so attractive." Abigail was wearing a floor length sequined black and silver form fitting dress with tiny straps holding up an exceedingly low cut v-neck and a slit halfway up her left thigh. It was a daring dress, but extremely stunning on the elegant witch.

The two wizards happily wrapped their witch's arms through theirs and led them into the ballroom. Once there, Marcus gave their names to the wizard announcing the guests, and together he and Hermione stood at the top of the staircase.

When their names were announced, every eye in the room turned to take them in. Hermione tightened her grip on Marcus' arm, fear gripping her as the whispers began. Marcus placed his other hand gently over hers, reassuring her. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they were eagerly greeted by a middle aged wizard and witch.

"Flint, so glad you could make it. Miss Granger, it is a great pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I am Anton Ivanov, Marcus' coach, and this is my wife Olivia," the wizard introduced.

"Thank you Mr. Ivanov. It's very nice to meet you. Marcus speaks very highly of you. You have a lovely home," she told him with a soft smile.

"Please, call me Anton, or Coach. I hope we will be seeing more of you at the games."

"Well, as long as Marcus doesn't mind me being there," she said bashfully.

Olivia interjected quickly, "Of course Marcus would want you to be there! All the players like it when their witches are there to cheer them on!"

"Oh we're not…" Hermione tried correcting before Olivia linked her arm through hers and led her away from the wizards where they joined Abigail.

"I just love meeting all the new player's wives and girlfriends. Occasionally we get the stuck up groupie girlfriend, but we keep them separate from the witches who are authentic. We don't put up with the cattiness that often comes with the sport. Ever since Anton took over as Head Coach, he's been expecting more of the team. He holds them to higher standards and it seems that they are definitely doing well with the direction. Now, let me introduce you to the other wives and girlfriends," Olivia said, never letting Hermione speak.

That was how the beginning of the night went for Hermione. She fully expected to be ridiculed for being in public, single, and pregnant, but Olivia made sure that the team's wives and girlfriends knew treating her as less than one of them would mean receiving her wrath.

The threats ended up not even being needed. All the women were thrilled to meet Hermione and eagerly spoke to her about her studies and future plans. They even inquired about her pregnancy, genuinely happy for the expectant mother. They were so welcoming and without any malice, that Hermione even told them about Viktor being the father which unexpectedly only warmed them up to her more. Olivia told her that Anton had been the coach that recruited Viktor initially into professional Quidditch, seeing the talent of the young Seeker at the young age of 13. They exchanged happy stories of the brooding Bulgarian and there wasn't a dry eye in the group when they heard how he had died at the final battle, there to help his fiancé.

While they talked, Hermione learned that most of the witches were from Slytherin house at Hogwarts with a few others from other schools entirely. A couple of the witches, who knew Blaise and Adrian, happily shared humorous stories about them and other Slytherins. They all got a great laugh when she told them the story of punching Malfoy in her third year. To say she was shocked at their acceptance would be putting it mildly. Other than Arthur, everyone Hermione had considered friends and family, had turned their backs on her, making her feel like she was not worthy of even having friends. But here were some of the most elite of wizarding society, accepting her completely like a long lost friend or family member.

Later, when the dancing began, Marcus led her to the dance floor so they could finally talk.

"Are they treating you okay? I've been watching you to see if you needed rescuing, but you seemed to be engrossed in the group," he told her as he led her around the floor in a waltz.

"It's amazing Marcus! They're all so nice and have welcomed me so warmly. I don't think I've ever been treated so nicely, not even at Hogwarts by my own housemates. Thank you so much for inviting me," she told him with a bright smile on her face.

Marcus gave her a half smile that verged on a smirk, but looked more genuinely happy versus cocky. "I'm very glad to hear that Princess. You don't deserve the treatment you've been getting."

"I don't get it Marcus. I've been told pregnant, unmarried witches are basically shunned in wizarding society, and most everyone here comes from long pure-blood lines, yet they have completely accepted me. How much of what I've been told is untrue?"

Sighing, Marcus contemplated how he wanted to explain things to her. "What they told you isn't necessarily wrong. It's that Slytherins and pure-blood society have a different way of doing things. You are considered an honorary Slytherin since you have befriended and helped Adrian, Blaise, and now myself. You didn't judge us and have accepted us in your life. The main thing you must always remember about Slytherins is that Slytherins protect their own no matter what. The team is also predominantly Slytherin because of the aggressive way we play. We're not afraid of a little blood and dirt. Like our team motto says ' _Let us win._ _But if we cannot win, let us break a few heads_.'

"In a situation such as yours, where a pure-blood, well-respected fiancé was killed leaving the witch pregnant, a close friend would offer to marry her and raise the child as his own in honor of the deceased wizard. This allows the witch to keep her good name and the child is raised in a caring environment, where they are able to learn about their father from both parents. It's extremely rare for a pure-blood witch to not marry someone before the baby arrives. But that is amongst Slytherins and those they are close to. Usually, outside of Slytherin, if a witch is pregnant and unmarried she is shunned. Then if she does end up getting married, the wizard who marries her usually does what they can to exclude the child, or at the least bad mouths the father and makes the child feel terrible about themselves. That's why you don't see any children at Hogwarts from unwed mothers; their treatment in society is so bad the mothers home school them."

"I didn't realize…" Hermione drifted off. "That's so terrible! I don't know what to think Marcus. Being raised as a Muggle, it's not uncommon for there to be unmarried mothers. There's definitely no such thing as shunning them in this day and age. I guess I'll need to talk to Mama and Papa Krum and see how I'm going to handle things. I know that Ron demanded that I marry him, even after he found out about Viktor and the baby, but he said such awful things like 'I guess I can make the best of raising some other wizard's sprog.' Add in that I just could never imagine myself being in a relationship with him. Let alone marry him. Even though it means I'll be shunned, I could never put my baby in the situation of being raised by him."

Marcus watched the emotions cross her face, and when he saw her start to become distressed, he gently moved her towards the balcony overlooking the back gardens. Outside in the shadows, he pulled the small witch into his arms and held her as she began to cry. "It's okay Mina. I'm sorry to talk about this stuff with you. Tonight was supposed to be a happy night so you could relax and have a good time."

Pulling back from the Chaser, Hermione wiped at her tears with the back of her hand until he pulled out a handkerchief for her to use. "Please don't be sorry Marcus. I'm very grateful that you are explaining this to me. I've always had to do everything alone and I obviously didn't expect this to be any different. Viktor was the first person who treated me like I was special. I miss him so much." Sniffing, Hermione looked up into the grey eyes of Marcus and smiled shyly. "I don't know what I would do without Ade and Blaise. They've been so wonderful since they found out. Then you show up and for the first time since Viktor died, I'm able smile again and move forward. You don't get upset with me when I talk about him. You're the only person I can talk to about him. I honestly don't know what I would do without you in my life now. Thank you." With that, she wrapped a hand around his neck and brought him down to her and kissed his cheek.

Marcus blushed, but was happy it wasn't noticeable in the dark of the balcony. He wrapped Hermione's arm back through his and the two just stood together looking out across the gardens and enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Inside, the Ivanov's and the Montagues' watched the unlikely couple and smiled.

"At least he told her how it really is in wizarding society," Graham murmured so only the four of them could hear.

"I still don't think either of them realizes that they're the perfect for each other," added Olivia.

"Hmm, I think his subconscious wants to marry her, hence his telling her how true pure-blood society handles these situations. He's been alone for so long though he needs a nudge," was Anton's interpretation.

"I'm taking her out for lunch on Monday with the other wives and girlfriends. We need to get her used to the concept subtly. Care to join us Olivia?" asked Abigail. "Noon at Luigi's?"

"I'll be there," smiled Olivia. Yes, the men would work on Marcus, and the women would get Hermione used to the idea, as well as introduce her to the elites of wizarding society. She wouldn't be alone anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Well, we're closing in on the end. A note about the way I write, I don't plan anything out - no outlines, no idea how it's going to end, who's going to show up, etc. I just write and what comes out on the screen is just there. Sometimes I'll think I know where I want things to go, but then something in the story takes a different direction and any plan I might have had is gone. I did not plan on the whole pureblood way of protecting witches in extreme cases of being pregnant and unmarried. It's not meant to be there just as a way for a witch to get married, that's not the case at all. It's for like in Hermione's case in this story where an extreme situation occurred that took her fiancé away from her leaving her in the situation. I use it as a guide for why her new pureblood friends and associates are so accepting of her situation. They know she's not the kind of witch who just sleeps around. They want to protect her, but at the same time, they are only using it as a way to gently encourage two people who show all signs of liking each other as more than friends.**

 **Thanks to everyone for reading! I love reading your reviews, even the couple negatives. I try not to let the words hurt, but rather use them as a way to better explain what I'm trying to say in the story, and to improve my writing. And of course, special thanks to Steph!**

* * *

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 6

The next evening Hermione and Marcus, along with Adrian and Blaise, were awaiting the arrival of the Krums. They were coming to visit Hermione and where they would be told about the baby. Their arrival had been delayed thanks to the Ministry's incompetence with international Portkeys. Hermione gripped Marcus' arm tightly, having become comfortable with his reassuring presence beside her. She was afraid they would be upset about the baby, even though the guys reassured her that her concern was ridiculous.

The floo flared to life and out stepped the elegant and beautiful Theresa Krum, followed by her stern, but kind husband, Stefan Krum. After they brushed the ashes from their robes, Theresa looked to Hermione and opened her arms wide. Hermione rushed to her and the two women hugged tightly. As they were hugging, Theresa's eyes grew wide and she pulled away from Hermione quickly and looked down at her stomach.

"Mina?" she asked trying to hide her shock and excitement.

"Surprise?" Hermione offered nervously.

"You're...?"

"Yes, Mama. You're going to be a grandmother," Hermione told her shyly.

Theresa let out a shriek of delight. "Stefan! We're going to have a grandchild! Viktor's spirit will live on!"

Hermione was lifted up into the strong arms of her child's grandfather, and swung around in a circle as he laughed joyfully.

"Sveet, sveet Mina. You honor us by having our son's child. Anything you need, you vill have," the older man told her.

At this point, the three men who Hermione lived with were feeling slightly awkward. Two of them because they had never met the Krums before, and the third because he was nervous about how they would take his being there now. Adrian politely cleared his throat.

Theresa, was the first to turn to them with a bright smile. Holding out her hand towards Adrian and Blaise first she said, "Hello, I am Theresa Krum, Viktor Krum's mother."

Both brought up with proper pureblood manners, Adrian, then Blaise, gently raised her hand to their lips as they bowed to the beautiful woman.

"The honor is ours Madam Krum. I am Adrian Pucey and this is my partner Blaise Zabini. We are good friends of Hermione's."

"Oh yes! Mina has written me much about you two. I am so glad she has found you during this difficult time in her life. Please call me Mama Krum, or I guess it would be Baba Krum now! This is my husband Stefan Krum."

Both men shook the older man's hand. He eyed them hesitantly at first but then broke out into a big grin. "Da, good men to look after our Mina. You are not out to hurt or use her. I approve."

Hermione had quietly walked back to Marcus as Adrian and Blaise introduced themselves to the Krums. "Mama?" she spoke.

Theresa turned to look at Hermione. When her eyes spotted who she was standing next to, her eyes grew wide and tears started to pour down.

"Marcus!" she exclaimed and engulfed the large man in a hug only Mama Krum could deliver. "I have missed you so much. I want you to know I sent the Minister a scathing howler for not allowing you to attend Viktor's funeral. I was so mad! What are you doing here?"

"Hello Mama. I have missed you terribly. Did you receive the flowers I sent at least?" he asked, returning her embrace.

"Yes, yes! They were lovely."

"Well, Adrian happens to be my oldest friend. When I was transferred back to England, I needed a low profile place to stay for a while until I could get my own place. I showed up here and scared poor Mina to death. I found out that she was Viktor's Mina and she found out who I was. She decided that I needed to stay here, so here I am. We've been spending a lot of time together talking about Viktor," he told the woman who he saw as his mother, as his own mother had never had anything to do with him.

Theresa looked at the two of them a moment then she picked up each of their hands. Closing her eyes, she murmured some soft words that they could not understand. A small wind swept around them and they were filled with a warmth that lifted their spirits.

Slowly she lowered their hands and looked at Hermione and Marcus again, a watery smile on her face. "My Vitya smiles on you both. He knew Marcus would be the right choice for his Mina. I am so happy with this match!" she told them.

Hermione and Marcus just stared at her dumbfounded.

"But…"

"We're not…"

They both tried to interject at the same time but were waved off by Mama Krum.

Stefan stood behind his wife smiling. He reached out and shook Marcus' hand and gave him a nod. "Velcome to the family Marcus."

Theresa smiled and pulled Hermione in for another hug so she could whisper "My daughter. This is a good thing. Together you both will be able to move forward and it is together that you will raise my grandchild in a loving environment where he or she will be able to understand what a wonderful man my Viktor was. I am very happy for you both."

Giving up on arguing, a blushing Hermione said, "Let me show you to your room Mama. I am putting you in my room for your stay," as she led them upstairs.

"Where will you be staying then Mina?" Theresa asked, looking between her and Marcus.

"I'll be sleeping in my study," she answered nonchalantly. Marcus' brow furrowed as he took this in. Theresa smiled as she noticed his reaction.

"Somehow, I don't think that Marcus approves of that idea," Theresa said quietly. Then leaning in to Hermione she whispered "Just do what he says this once Mina. Trust me on this." Pulling away she gave Hermione a little wink.

Hermione smiled uncertainly. "Oh! Would you care to join me tomorrow at lunch with some of the women from Marcus' team? Olivia Ivanov is going to be there."

"How wonderful! I can't wait to see her again. I'll gladly join you. Maybe Stefan can go with Marcus to his practice and see Anton."

Marcus nodded saying "It would be an honor. I'm sure Coach would like to see you again, Sir."

"Very good. I vill join you tomorrow Marcus," Stefan said.

"Good night Mina, Marcus. Sleep well and we will see you in the morning," said Mama Krum.

"Good night Mama, Papa," replied Hermione as she watched the door shut, Stefan smirking at her from behind his wife. He was so similar to Viktor in that way. Only speaking when necessary to anyone outside of his wife. Slowly she turned and looked up at a scowling Marcus.

"Well, good night Marcus. Sle…" she began.

"Just what are you thinking saying you'll sleep in your study? There's not enough space to transfigure a bed in that tiny room! And the couch in there won't fit you even though you are the tiniest woman I have ever met. You're sleeping in my room," he ordered.

"Excuse me?" she said incredulously.

"Mina, don't argue please. It's not good for you or the baby to sleep in such a cramped and uncomfortable setting as your study. You need a proper bed so therefore you can sleep on my bed which in all honesty, is your bed. Now, come on." With that he pulled her towards his room.

"Um, Marcus? Would you mind much if I used the restroom first and changed?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, yeah. I'll get changed in the room while you use the bathroom and then I can go use it," he said rubbing his hand nervously on the back of his head. He watched her hurry away to the bathroom and close the door.

Marcus stepped into his room and shut the door. He quickly looked around and made sure everything was neat and tidy. Walking to the dresser, he pulled out a pair of pajama pants. Looking at them he frowned. He hated wearing anything on his legs at night, usually sleeping nude. However, he wouldn't be doing that tonight, or any night as long as Mina was sleeping in his room. Quickly he grabbed a pair of boxer shorts and changed into them and then slid the pajama pants over the top.

He had just finished pulling a pillow and blanket onto the floor in front of the wardrobe when he heard a light knock on the door. "Enter" he said loud enough for her to hear through the door.

"Hi," she said shyly as she looked to the ground. Marcus stared at her wearing an old Bulgarian National Quidditch team jersey over a tiny pair of white shorts. She looked beautiful. Quickly he swallowed, trying to get his voice to work.

"Go crawl in bed and go to sleep Mina. I'll turn out the light for you and I'll be back in just a little bit," he told her gently.

Hermione nodded. Seeing her so nervous, Marcus walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead before leaving the room, closing the door.

Crawling into bed, Hermione's face was bright red. _He didn't have a shirt on!_ _I have never seen him shirtless before._ _He looks amazing!_ _Oh my goodness._ _I shouldn't be looking at his chest._ _Go to sleep Hermione._ _There's no reason to get so flustered._ _Hush now._

Hermione quickly shut her eyes as Marcus opened the door to the room. He quietly walked to the makeshift bed he had made on the floor and removed his pajama pants before crawling under the blankets. They both stayed perfectly still, not wanting to disturb the other's rest.

A short time later, Hermione heard Marcus turn on the floor. A minute later, he adjusted again, flipping his pillow. Yet another minute later, she heard him turn over again and this time he released a soft growl.

"Marcus?" she whispered.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," his gruff voice said.

Pulling all of her Gryffindor courage to the surface she said, "This bed is really big enough for the both of us to share it without getting in each other's way. You don't have to sleep on the floor."

Marcus was silent.

"Marcus?" she asked hesitantly.

"Are you sure Mina? I don't want to do anything that will make you feel uncomfortable," he replied gently.

"I'm sure. You won't get any sleep at the rate you're going. Just get up here," she said rolling her eyes as she turned to face him, her head propped up on her hand.

Marcus quickly stood up, grabbing his pillow and walked to the bed. He started to lay down on top of the blankets when Hermione interrupted him.

"Oh stop being ridiculous, get under the blankets Marcus."

"Mina…"

"Marcus…I'm pregnant and tired. Do you honestly want to argue with me tonight?" she asked in annoyance.

"Probably not the best idea I've had," he answered sheepishly.

"Exactly, now get under the covers, lay down, shut up, and go to sleep," she told him.

"Yes Ma'am," he told her cheekily. "Good night Mina," he said leaning over to give her a kiss on her cheek. He miscalculated though and ended up kissing her on the corner of her mouth.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide as she looked to where she thought Marcus' face was. Neither moved for a moment, until Marcus's hand reached up and found her cheek. His thumb gently caressed her cheek a moment before he leaned down again, this time his lips meeting hers in a soft, chaste kiss. They pulled back one more time, eyes finding each other in the dark.

Slowly Hermione slid down to lay her head on her pillow, still watching Marcus in the dark. He soon followed suit and slid down as well. "Come here Mina, it's okay," he murmured as he lay on his back, arms open waiting for her to cuddle up next to him."

Slowly she moved to his side and rested her head on his shoulder while his arms wrapped around her and held her close. Silent tears slid onto his chest but he knew that tonight she needed to cry and be held. They both missed Viktor, but tonight would be the first time she had slept next to someone who was not her fiancé. Tonight she needed him as a man and a friend and that he would be.

Before they knew it, both of them had drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Well, we are coming down towards the end.** **This chapter will finally bring some conflict!** **I had to do some rewriting of it initially, but I think it helps answer a few questions that people have asked about.** **I still am blown away by the response of my little story.** **Thank you so much for everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed.** **I think all the attention it has received, made it really difficult to write the final chapter because I didn't want to let anyone down.** **There is only one chapter after this and then the Epilogue.** **Thanks again to StephanopolisO9 for being a wonderful Beta!**

 ***Remember, I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe.** **I am just a simple wife, mother, student, business manager who is tiptoeing through the JKR's Wizarding World for my own amusement when I need an escape from reality.**

* * *

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 7

The next morning, Hermione and Mama Krum flooed to Diagon Alley to take care of some shopping. Mama insisted that Hermione needed some new maternity robes, so they headed to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

They entered the shop happy and smiling. Wandering through the rows of robes available, the two witches heard a snort from behind them. "Apparently they are allowing anyone in here now. Some people refuse to see they obviously don't belong in polite society," was sneered from behind them.

This was followed by a mild attempt to cover a laugh, and then a second voice said, "As smart as everyone always made her out to be, she sure can't take a hint that she's not welcome here or anywhere. First all the Purebloods wanted her gone and now she goes and embarrasses Ron by sleeping around and getting herself knocked up. I say good riddance. We don't need a whore sullying the Weasley's good name."

Hermione and Mama turned around, coming face to face with Mrs. Weasley and her daughter, Hermione's best female friend, Ginevra Weasley. Mrs. Weasley wore a snobby superior look upon her face while sneering at Hermione in disgust. The look on Ginny's face was one of pure disgust as she eyed Hermione's obviously pregnant stomach.

"Beg pardon?" asked Mama Krum.

Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes and then spoke to her as if she were an uneducated child that needed to be reminded of their manners, "You are obviously not from here, so you may not be aware that it is inappropriate for pregnant, unmarried witches to be out in polite society. I suggest you find somewhere else to attend your shopping as there is no one in the Alley who will cater to this – this trollop."

Hermione stood there in shock at the words spoken to her while Mama's eyes narrowed in anger at the witch's words. How dare she call the mother of her grandchild a trollop! Before she could speak, yet another voice came from behind them.

"I can assure you Madam, Miss Granger is no trollop and is most welcome in polite society. She is a pleasure to have amongst us. Now, I suggest you and your harpy of a daughter spew your vitriol elsewhere."

Mama turned and upon seeing Olivia Ivanov behind her, smiled. She then turned to face the two smarmy witches in front of her and said, "Last I checked, sleeping with one's fiancé before the start of a great battle is not an act of a whore, but rather one of love. At least my son did not sleep with every girl that came along like it is well documented in the Daily Prophet about your youngest son."

Mrs. Weasley looked like she had been slapped. "Y-y-your son?"

Hermione decided she could finally speak up with the support of the two women with her. "Mrs. Weasley, I don't know what Ronald told you about me, but I was constantly reminding him that I was in a relationship with Viktor. He had it in his mind that we were supposed to be together, but I can assure you, I never encouraged that. I know I had several discussions with Ginny about that very thing. Besides that, at least Viktor never abandoned me, even when I had to go on the hunt with Harry and Ron. He knew I couldn't contact him and he never once lost faith. Your son on the other hand, did abandon Harry and myself while we were hunting the Horcruxes. I've never spoken one bad word about Ronald either, even though he loved to belittle me and constantly called me names. Now, if you don't mind, I have some shopping to do with my baby's grandmother and my good friend."

"How dare you speak of my sweet, innocent Ronald like that!?" Mrs. Weasley screeched. "Your predicament is all the proof I need that shows what a trollop you are. No one believes anything that the Daily Prophet writes anyway. All we have to say is that the pictures were altered of Ronald, whereas…" she sneered down at Hermione's stomach, "there's no arguing that you have slept around and have no husband to claim the child."

"Oh but her child is claimed," smirked Mama. "This child will be raised knowing full well who their father is and knowing they are very loved by our family and all of Bulgaria. I will take my lovely daughter-in-law back there if I have to in order to protect her from vulgar windbags such as yourself."

"She's not your daughter-in-law, they were never married," spat Ginny.

"I'm so sick of this. We had completed the first two of the three formal engagement ceremonies for a proper wizarding marriage. We only had need for a Ministry official to perform the final marriage ceremony for this Ministry. As far as our magic and anyone important is concerned, we were married," stated an exasperated Hermione. "The steps were completed in Bulgaria the summer before we left on the hunt, we just didn't want everyone to know because it would put Viktor in too much danger."

"Then there's no reason for me to need to accept your situation, nor anyone else. You weren't married, so therefore you remain a pregnant, unmarried witch," Mrs. Weasley informed them pompously.

Madam Malkin took that moment to rush forward and evaluate the situation. On one side she saw the two ginger-haired witches wearing matching sneers. On the other, was a young famous and pregnant war heroine along with two elegant witches wearing extremely expensive robes. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed that one of the witches was a very well respected, famous, Quidditch coach's wife. One word from her and Madam Malkin could kiss her business goodbye! "Beg pardon, however I am going to have to ask you to come back after these ladies finish their shopping."

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny smirked at the other three waiting for them to leave. That is until Madam Malkin continued, "Madam Ivanov, Miss Granger, Ma'am, I believe the area of the shop you are looking for is against that far wall if you ladies would like to head that way, I will join you shortly. Madam and Miss Weasley, I believe we will be able to assist you this afternoon."

The two women stood gobsmacked, staring at the shop owner. Madam Malkin then personally escorted the women out of the shop and upon closing the door, used her wand to change the "Open" sign in the window to "Closed".

"Olivia! It's wonderful to see you again!" exclaimed Mama giving the older witch a hug.

"Theresa! I was so excited when Hermione told me you were going to be in town. It's a small world," gushed Olivia.

"That it is. You must tell me, where did you meet our Mina?" she asked.

"She was escorted to the Falmouth Falcons Home Opener Party by Marcus Flint, one of our Chasers. She was so sweet, I made sure to introduce her to the other wives and girlfriends. Then when I found out she was Viktor's Mina, I was thrilled!" replied Olivia.

"Oh! Did you know that Viktor and Marcus were best friends? Marcus used to spend his off seasons at the Manor training with Viktor," Mama continued as the witches walked to where the maternity robes were displayed.

"That's what I found out," Olivia said smiling. "Oh Hermione these robes would look stunning on you!" she said pulling out a set of dark teal robes. "Such a flattering color with your hair and eyes."

Hermione smiled at the two witches and allowed them to dress her up for the next two hours.

* * *

With a multitude of maternity clothes, and a few baby items shrunk and stored in their pockets, the three witches made their way to Luigi's to meet up with Abigail and the other wives and girlfriends. Luigi's was a new wizarding Italian restaurant that had opened up after the war. It had become quite a popular place amongst those who wanted to be noticed.

Hermione wore a new emerald green dress made of a stretch jersey with three-quarter length sleeves and flattering side shirring that showed off her fit and pregnant body. Over the top, she wore a set of deep forest green robes that accented her figure. She had admit, she felt good wearing the new clothes, as she walked proudly between the two other witches.

When they were a block away from the restaurant, they heard, "Well if it isn't the princess whore. So, how many guys have you fucked this week? Or, how about we make it easy, many have you fucked just today?"

The three witches spun around, two with wands pointed at the offender, and third with her hands protecting her unborn child.

"How dare you speak of her that way!" spat Mama.

"Like I care what the fuck you think," sneered Auror Trainee Ronald Weasley to her.

Olivia glared at the man before them before saying, "War hero or not, you just kissed your career goodbye."

"Like you can do anything about my career," he said smirking at her. "I'm a highly decorated war hero and you're nobody. You can't do anything to me, especially when I'm protecting the integrity of wizarding life by getting this whore off the streets so decent people can walk around without having such disgraceful behavior shoved in their faces."

"There is nothing disgraceful about Hermione, and how dare you imply so! I will be contacting your superior immediately." With that she took hold of Hermione's arm and began to walk away, Mama close behind.

"You do NOT turn your back on me _Mudblood!_ " Ron hissed as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. His actions were so aggressive, Hermione lost her footing and fell hard to the ground, landing on her hands and knees to protect her stomach. He leered down at her and made to grab her by the hair.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Ron was pulled away from Hermione and slammed up against the wall of the building beside them. Olivia and Mama quickly helped Hermione up and behind the wall of wizards that had surrounded them.

Finally taking everything in, Hermione realized that the wizards that had created a shield around them were the members of the Falmouth Falcons. She then realized it was Marcus Flint who had yanked Ron away from her, and Marcus who held him by the throat against the wall, his feet dangling in the air.

"You son of a bitch! Don't you ever lay a hand on her again," Marcus snarled menacingly. "If you speak to her, look at her, or even _think_ about her again, I will ensure that you are stripped of your Order of Merlin. Once I've done that, I'm going to make your life such a living hell, you will wish I had killed you when I had the chance. She was never yours and never will be," he spat.

"I'm going to have you sent to Azkaban you fucking Death Eater, for assaulting an Auror and war hero!" whined Ron.

Marcus pulled his fist back, ready to smash it against the arrogant red-head's face and yelled, "I am NOT a Death Eater! I was punished enough for what my father did! Not me! HIM! I couldn't even go to my best friend's funeral because of arrogant idiots like you who just lumped all Slytherin's into a group!"

Ron, his face red from lack of oxygen spat back at Marcus "Death Eaters don't deserve funerals."

"VIKTOR WASN'T A DEATH EATER!" Marcus yelled in Ron's face.

He was about to smash his fist into Ron's face when Hermione called out "Marcus! Please, let the Aurors handle him."

He turned to see tears falling from her eyes as she held a hand out to him. Looking back at Ron, he slammed him against the brick wall he was held up against and let him drop to the ground before walking over to Hermione. Reaching her, he held her face in his large hands and brushed the tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs. "Are you okay, Princess? Did he hurt you? We'll file formal charges against him since he's in uniform."

"I – I'm okay Marcus. Just a little sore from landing on the ground, and well, sad," she whispered to him.

"Come here, Princess," he said gently and pulled her to his chest and held her as she quietly wept into his chest.

Coach Ivanov came over to his star Chaser and the three witches. "Olivia? Are you okay? I've summoned the Aurors. Flint, you'll need to stick around as I'm sure they'll be wanting to try and accuse you of assault. I have the team's legal advisors on their way as well." His authoritative voice was calm and stern, brooking no arguments.

The Aurors arrived soon after. Ron started ranting and raving that Marcus had assaulted him, unprovoked so they approached to take him into custody. However, Coach Ivanov would not stand for it and the three witches told them what had happened. Hermione was even able to show them the bruises on her arm where her former friend had grabbed at her.

Ron's superior had to be called in when the Falcons' legal team showed up threatening action against the ministry for their trainee's actions. When he arrived, he had none other than Harry Potter with him. The supervising Auror initially made attempts at playing off Ron's actions as misinterpreted words between two friends, until Hermione spoke up saying, "He is not my friend. A friend doesn't physically assault their pregnant friend. They also do not call their friend a Mudblood, especially knowing they have to live everyday with that disgusting term carved into their arm," she said strongly, pulling up her sleeve and showing the scar to Ron's supervisor.

Harry's eyes grew wide in shock. Turning, he looked at Ron, "Did you really call 'Mione a Mudblood?" When Ron refused to answer him, he continued. "I can't believe you would do that. _Why_ would you do that?"

Ron turned tomato red and spat "Look at her Harry! She's a fucking whore who slept around instead of just marrying me like I told her to do! Now she's knocked up with the spawn of some piece of dirt and I look like an idiot! Everyone knows we were supposed to get married. It was supposed to be you and Ginny, and me and _her_. But she went and ruined _everything_!"

Hermione was exhausted from all of Ron's accusations. "How many times do I have to tell you? I have been with Viktor since our fourth year! I told both you and Ginny several times that I was in a relationship. I don't understand where both of you came up with the idea that I was ever going to marry you! Nothing could ever make me want to marry you. And after what your mother and sister just got done spewing at myself, Mama Krum, and Madam Ivanov, I would never want to be part of that family! The only decent one is your father and he's even left your family because of the lies. I'm done with you all! If I never see you again, it will be too soon."

Harry's eyes grew wide and he asked "What did Ginny do? You told her you were with Viktor? How long? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I don't want to relive what just went on with those shrews, especially since she's known Viktor and I were serious for the past several years. I'm tired of explaining myself. As for why I never told you, I _did_ tell you. Ron always changed the subject or talked over me and you always went along with him. You never tried to hear me Harry. You would listen, but you never heard me," Hermione told him.

"'Mione, I - I didn't realize. I'm so sorry. Can we talk about things? Please," Harry pleaded.

"Not right now Harry. I don't want to deal with that all right now. Right now I want to focus on the fact that my former friend, who is an Auror trainee just assaulted me, called me a forbidden name, and called my respectable, influential, and close friend a Death Eater several times in front of his entire Quidditch team and the public," Hermione said, wrapping her arm around Marcus'.

All of the color drained from the Supervising Auror's face as he looked from Hermione, to everyone around him. Quickly, he made a decision. "Take him in," he said pointing to Ron. "Mr. Ivanov, I apologize for the trouble caused to your team. You all are free to go. Miss Granger, I apologize for your treatment, however, might I suggest you refrain from being in public much? Your situation is not looked upon favorably. I'm very grateful for all you did during the war, however, many others feel like Mr. Weasley and I don't want to see anything happen to you. I want you to remain safe, so it might be best for you to either stay out of the more popular wizarding areas, or make sure you travel in a group to ensure your own safety, and that of your child."

Harry stared at his supervisor, then asked "It's really that big of a deal? No matter what good she's done, and that she had completed two-thirds of the marriage ceremonies, she's still considered to be unacceptable?" Harry had overheard his girlfriend and her mother often discussing how Hermione wasn't considered acceptable because of her pregnancy, but didn't ask anything because he didn't want to listen to them go on a rant. He always just figured they were mad that Hermione didn't want to marry Ron, not that the Wizarding world really viewed her so terribly.

"I agree it's not the best way to handle things, but you're asking to change opinions overnight. We're still dealing with the whole Pure-blood mentality. It will take time before this mindset will be changed. She just needs to take care so as not to be put in bad situations going forward," the supervising Auror told Harry. With that, he turned and disapparated, his Aurors following with Ron restrained.

Harry stared at the spot the supervising Auror stood at, trying to take everything in.

Hermione looked away from her first friend and from the team surrounding her, eyes full of unshed tears.

Marcus pulled her into his arms again. Looking over her head to his coach he said "Coach, I need the rest of the day off if you don't mind. I don't want to leave Mina alone right now."

"Not at all," Coach replied. "Go take her for a walk in Muggle London. Here's a Portkey that will take you both back to the Stadium so you can floo home after. I know apparition isn't good for the baby, but the other two methods are fine."

Mama Krum and Olivia each gave Hermione gentle hugs before sending her and Marcus towards the Leaky Cauldron and Muggle London. Harry tried to approach, but Stefan Krum just placed a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head at the bespeckled Auror. He would have to attempt to make amends at a later day and time.

When they were out of hearing range, Abigail sidled up to them. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

Mama Krum said with a smile, "She's strong, and she has a solid support rock in Marcus. My Viktor is probably already plotting how to get them to realize they need to be together, from beyond the veil."

Olivia smirked at her old friend. "Yes, that is definitely something Viktor would do. He was the most selfless person I had ever met. He and Hermione would have been very happy together. Now Marcus and Hermione, they need each other more than anything."

"I agree," Mama Krum said. "They both suffered a great loss when my Viktor died and it's only together that they will be able to move on. My sweet Mina, she will tame the beast within Marcus without making him change who he is. And Marcus…oh my big, gruff adoptive son, he will make a wonderful father. In fact, I would be willing to wager that they come back having reached some sort of…agreement."

Abigail smiled brightly. "I guess I had better put together a wedding planner book. I'm sure she'll need all our help planning it in such a short time."

Watching the young couple in the distance, Mama Krum leaned into her husband and whispered, "When we lost our only son, I never dreamed that we would gain a new son, a daughter, and a grandchild. They are the three people who will ensure that he is never truly lost to us."

Stefan Krum wrapped an arm around his loving wife and kissed her head before they turned and joined the team, their wives, and girlfriends at Luigi's for lunch.

Harry stood baffled in the middle of the Alley watching his friend walk away on the arm of a rather large and scary looking Quidditch player, wondering how he had failed the one friend who had always been there for him, while the rest of the gathered crowd dispersed around him.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N ~ Well, here's the final chapter before the Epilogue.** **I can't tell you all enough how much your wonderful reviews have meant to me.** **They honestly make me want to keep writing and coming up with new stories.** **Thank you!** **Thank you to my wonderful Beta StephanopolisO9!** **Go check out her story Where did all the Men Go!**

* * *

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 8

Marcus led Hermione through Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron, and into Muggle London. Marcus was already dressed in blue jeans, boots, a navy blue t-shirt, and his favorite leather jacket, allowing him to fit into the Muggle world perfectly. Hermione transfigured her robes into a fashionable jacket over her dress, and added and cushioning charm to her shoes for their walk.

"Let's take a cab," Marcus said as he hailed one passing by.

Hermione smiled up at him and nodded. Once inside, Hermione gave the driver directions to a park she had frequented growing up. As they sat side by side in the back of the cab, Hermione thought about her life. So much had changed since May. She definitely never dreamed that she would feel so safe with someone again, and definitely not so soon after losing Viktor.

She also realized that she was happy with him. Of course, it probably didn't hurt that she had spent the previous night wrapped up in Marcus' arms. Smiling, her mind drifted back to that morning when she had woken up next to Marcus.

 _*FLASHBACK*_

 _During the night they had moved so that her back was pressed to his front, spooning, their legs tangled._ _Marcus in his sleep, had allowed his hand to move down to lay over Hermione's protruding stomach protectively._ _Hermione's consciousness still lay halfway in dreamland as his hand gently rubbed soothing circles there until suddenly a sharp kick under his hand_ _,_ _jolted both awake._

 _"_ _What happened!" a drowsy Marcus yelped as he looked around the room trying to understand what had happened._

 _Hermione looked down at her stomach and then back up at him before she burst into laughter._

 _"_ _Hermione?_ _Wha…was that the baby?" he asked._ _When all he got as a response was a nod accentuated by giggles. He looked down at her stomach and reached hesitantly out towards her._ _Realizing what he was doing and snatched his hand back._

 _"_ _It's okay Marcus," Hermione said reaching for his hand._ _"_ _Give me your hand._ _The baby seems to really like your touch."_ _She held his hand on her stomach._ _As soon as his hand was on her stomach the baby rolled and kicked again._ _Marcus almost pulled his hand away, but Hermione held it firm._ _"_ _Wow, the baby really likes you._ _They've never been this active before when anyone else has touched my stomach."_

 _"_ _Dang, they have quite the kick, don't they?_ _I bet the baby will be a great Quidditch player!" he remarked, still in awe at the movements under his hand._

 _Hermione just giggled and looked up to him._ _"_ _I would expect so given Viktor is the father._ _Add in that you're in our lives, I imagine the baby will be a force to be reckoned with on the Quidditch Pitch."_

 _Marcus just stared at her with a goofy half smirk on his face before he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers._ _He waited for her to pull back, but when she didn't, he lightly let his tongue run along the crease of her mouth, asking permission to deepen the kiss._ _At first she hesitated, but soon, she opened, giving in to the feelings running through her._ _Hermione's hands moved up his chest to circle his neck, her fingers teasing the short hairs on the back of his neck._ _Marcus' gingerly pulled Hermione into his lap._ _Then he had one hand buried in her thick mass of curls, the other holding her body close._

 _The two finally parted when breathing became necessary._ _Marcus rested his forehead against Hermione's and the two just quietly took in their reactions and feelings._

 _It was Hermione who broke the silence._ _"_ _We should get going._ _You have practice and I'm going shopping with Mama."_ _Slowly she moved off his lap, Marcus assisting her._ _She grabbed the clothes she had set out the night before and headed for the bathroom._ _As she reached the door, she looked back over her shoulder and gave Marcus a bashful smile, lightly biting her bottom lip before disappearing out the door._

 _*END FLASHBACK*_

A short time later, they made their way through the park. It had well-manicured paths that were lined with trees, bare as they prepared for the winter. She sighed deeply as she held tight to Marcus' arm, a slight shiver going through her body.

Marcus subtly conjured a hat, scarf and mittens for the tiny witch beside him. She smirked as she put on the forest green pieces trimmed in silver.

The two walked along the Thames, like she used to do with Viktor, along the river in Bulgaria on his family's land. There was a sudden gust of wind that swirled around the two, pushing Hermione into Marcus. His strong arms wrapped around her, shielding her. As soon as his arms were holding her so they were pressed together front to front, like Viktor used to hold her, the wind had stopped. Hermione lifted her head up from his chest and looked into Marcus' grey-blue eyes. Her hands were resting gently on his chest and she could feel his firm muscles beneath her hands, so similar to Viktor's, yet so different.

Taking a breath she said, "You felt it too, didn't you?" Marcus only nodded, so she continued. "What did it remind you of?"

"The wind wrapped around making us spin like I would do in the last Quidditch move Viktor and I designed. How about you?" he whispered.

"Whenever Viktor and I would walk along the river by the manor, out of nowhere, he would whip me around and hold me close, just like this. As soon as I was in this position with you, Viktor's and my favorite way to stand at the river, the wind stopped."

"Do you think he's trying to tell us something?" Marcus asked.

"It appears so. Have you ever heard of that happening before? Being a Muggleborn, I don't know the full extent of Magic," she answered honestly.

"There was an instance in my family where something similar happened. When my great-grandfather Andre died, my great-grandmother Emmaline was pregnant with my grandmother. Andre's best friend, David felt compelled to see her one day after receiving a serious injury, instead of going to St. Mungo's. Emmaline had always dreamed of being a healer, but because of being a pureblood witch during that time period, she wasn't allowed to. Andre supported her learning and would buy her texts on healing so she could learn even though she wouldn't be allowed to become an official healer. She would heal all sorts of injuries that Andre would end up with from playing Quidditch. So when David showed up injured, she immediately was able to heal him. It was the first time she had been allowed to utilize her knowledge aside from Andre and it is said that she felt a warmth fill her. David also felt like he was called to see Emmaline, he would say that Andre chose him for Emmaline since he couldn't be there anymore. David and Emmaline went on to have one of the most loving and strong relationships ever to occur in any wizarding marriage. David raised my grandmother as his own child and loved her as his own and always let her know how much Andre loved her as well.

"I think that might be what happened here. Does it bother you?" he asked, looking down to her hands on his chest, scared to see a negative reaction in her eyes.

"I loved Viktor so much and it is exactly something he would do. He would make sure that the baby and I would be taken care of and hopefully loved. He trusted you Marcus. He wouldn't trust us with just anyone. I think you and I both meant a lot to him and this is his way of making sure we know it. We've needed each other to get over losing him," she told him gently.

Finally Marcus' deep voice broke through the silence. "Mina?"

"Yes Marcus?" she asked quietly.

"Do you think that one day you may grow to care about me as more than Viktor's best friend?" he asked, trying desperately to not allow his voice to show his nervousness.

Hermione turned to look at him, taking in his strong profile. He was so like Viktor, but so very different. While Viktor rarely showed anger and never raised his voice, Marcus was known for his anger and brutish behavior. Viktor was gentle and kind and had loved her completely and she never questioned it. Looking now at Marcus, she knew he was also gentle and kind, however that was only towards her. Where Viktor would have just swept Hermione away from Ron and continued on their way, Marcus had verbally stood up for her in front of a crowd, defending her against her former best friend.

Could she love Marcus? Looking at him now, she realized she was already on her way there. It was a different love than she had with Viktor, but no two loves were the same.

"Marcus, you're not Viktor, nor do I want you to be. I like you for who you are. You don't begrudge me having a place in my heart that will always belong to Viktor. I know it's what he would want and even if we didn't have the signs, I believe I would still eventually fall in love with you. I – I think I already am…" Her words were soft but firm as she looked up towards him.

She watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed before looking down to her face. To most they would only see a stony face lacking all emotion. What Hermione saw was uncertainty, with a hint of hope.

"I think I know what you're planning on doing Marcus. I know why you want to do it too. What I want to know though is, do you think you could grow to love me for me, or will I always be Viktor's Mina to you? Will you hold back who you are or will you show me who the real Marcus Flint is? Will you accept everything about who I am? Or are you only feeling this way because you were raised to do this, like you explained at the Party?"

"Mina, when Viktor was alive, I admired you not because of who you were, but because of how happy you made him. Now that I've met you and he is no longer with us, I can appreciate everything you were to him while at the same time appreciating everything you are now. You are a strong, intelligent, determined, and kind witch. You are so much more than I even envisioned when I thought of my future. I want to be a better man when I'm around you. I want to protect you and stand up for you. I want take care of you and the baby. I want to laugh with you. Hell, I even want to argue with you. I have never met a witch I can argue with who won't take it to heart. You know I'm not perfect and I'm sure I'll piss you off. I want to learn everything about you. The good. The bad. Everything. Sleeping beside you last night offered me peace of mind for the first time in my life. Hermione, I honestly believe I can grow to love you because I think I already do. Those feelings have nothing to do with being raised to marry to protect a witch from being shunned. It has everything to do with me caring deeply for you." His hands were cupping her cheeks lightly, his fingers ghosting over her temples and into her hair. "Please Mina marry me and allow me to take care of you and the baby. Let me give you two my name so that you can live life without questions and know that no one alive will ever care more about you. Marry me because I- I love you."

Hermione felt tears stinging her eyes as she raised her hands to his, holding them to her face before moving them to cup his own face. "Tell me Marcus, will you accept me working or do you want me to stay home and raise the baby?"

Marcus released a short single note burst of laughter, his eyes never leaving hers. "Like I could ever stop you from working. To stop you from working would be wanting you to be someone you're not. I would never ask that of you."

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Okay?" he asked. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes, it's a yes!" Hermione said through happy tears.

Marcus leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was a soft kiss, one that spoke of love and affection, while hinting at so much more to come. "Tomorrow I'll go to Gringotts and select a ring from my family vaults that I think you will like and appreciate. Unless you would like a new ring."

"I know you'll select a ring that is appropriate. If you are not able to find one you think fitting, then we can discuss purchasing a new ring," she told him as she leaned into his chest.

Marcus' arms wrapped around her, holding her close. When his hand rested on her stomach, the baby rolled and pressed against his hand, as if wanting to be close. They laughed at the antics of the baby. Hermione sighed contentedly as the two stood there together looking out across the pond as the sun began to dip behind the trees.

"We better go home," Hermione whispered. "I don't even want to contemplate what Blaise would attempt for dinner for Mama and Papa if left to his own devices." Looking up at Marcus, she gripped his shoulders and pulled him down for one more kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Before she released him, her lips hovered near his ear and she whispered "And Marcus? I love you too."

Together, they walked into the woods and activated the Portkey back to the stadium before flooing home.


	9. Epilogue

**A/N ~ It's hard to believe this is the end!** **Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews, favorites, and follows.** **Your support and kind words really mean a lot to me.** **I do have a one-shot coming up, but it will probably be awhile before I get time to write another multi-chapter story because I'm back in school.** **Numbers and formulas require all my attention.**

 **THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, to StephanopolisO9 for being a wonderful Beta!** **You are amazing!**

 **Lost and Found**

Chapter 9

Hermione stood in the small cemetery that overlooked the river flowing through the Krum Property. Her curls flew across her face as she faced the dueling winds whipping around her as she clasped her cloak tightly around her shoulders. A contented smile graced her face as she turned to face the winds, remembering the last time she had felt it flowing around her body in this same place.

*FLASHBACK*

"Are you ready Mina?" asked a beaming Mama Krum.

Turning to face the woman who had become such a wonderful influence in her life, Hermione smiled peacefully. "Sometimes I wonder how I could be so lucky. It's so rare for people to find one soul mate, but I found two. Viktor was my everything. I couldn't imagine my life without him, and if it weren't for Marcus, I don't think I could have ever been able to continue forward in life. Then I have you and Papa. My life is so full of love, I wonder how others are able to live their lives not knowing how it really feels to be loved."

"Oh Mina. You are the daughter I always dreamed of. You will always be my daughter. Today I get to watch you marry my adoptive son. You may not be a Krum by blood, but both will always be Krums in our hearts. In fact, Stefan and I have agreed that the manor will be passing on to you and Marcus and to this child," Mama said as she gently patted Hermione's swollen stomach.

"Mama! You don't have to do that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Nonsense. It is the only way we can keep the manor in the family," she smiled at Hermione.

"Well, in that case, I guess it's a good thing Marcus and I have decided to hyphenate our last name. I know it seems strange, but it just felt right since neither of us has any other family besides you. We're going to be known as Flint-Krum from now on. It felt appropriate given our history with you guys and Viktor. Plus, it allows our little one to have both fathers' names," the curly haired witch told Mama.

A tear escaped Mama Krum's eye and rolled down her cheek. "That is the most generous thing you could have done. You honor us!" Wiping the tear off her cheek, she gathered herself once more into the pristine matriarch of the Krum family. "Now, come along, it is time to marry Marcus."

A few hours later, Marcus held Hermione as he guided her around the dancefloor. "Do you know how beautiful you are Madam Flint-Krum?" he asked her.

"You flatter me Mr. Flint-Krum. I still can't believe you came up with the idea of hyphenating our last name. You should have seen Mama's face when I told her," Hermione replied.

"They have always been more like parents to me than my own ever were. It felt right to add Krum to our name," he told her as he twirled her around.

"You're right. It was the right decision for us. Did I tell you that they will be passing the Manor on to us to keep it in the family," she informed him.

"Really? Wow. Our children are going to be raised in this beautiful country. I like it."

"Me too, Marcus," Hermione said with a smile. "Me too."

*END FLASHBACK*

Hermione heard the happy screams of children playing on the grounds of the Manor behind her. Turning she saw her two sons, so like their fathers, soaring over the grounds on their brooms. She laughed as she watched them dip and flip and try to outdo each other on their moves. Then she looked over to her daughter sitting beneath her favorite tree reading a book, her own broom lying beside her.

"Come on Tessa! You get up here!" Alex yelled at his sister.

"Yeah Tess! You can read later! Hurry before everyone else gets out here," chimed in Peter.

Hermione shook her head at her children's antics and turned back towards the river and the gravestones in front of her. "It seems like yesterday that Alex was born," she said to herself.

*FLASHBACK*

"You did beautifully Mina," Marcus told her as he sat beside Hermione on the bed with the tiny bundle cradled in his giant arms. "Look at him, he's absolutely perfect."

"He is perfect Marcus," Hermione told him. Gently, she took her newborn son from Marcus and looked into the deepest, darkest brown eyes that matched Viktor's. His thick, dark brown hair hung flat against his head and he looked back and forth between the witch and wizard watching him.

The mid-witch walked in with a parchment to be completed. "The first baby of the New Year. He certainly knows how to make an entrance, doesn't he?" she said. "And have you decided on a name for this little wizard?" she asked kindly.

Marcus spoke up, his eyes not leaving his son, "His name is Alexander Viktor Flint-Krum."

The mid-witch smiled and filled in the information. "That is a very fitting name. Shall I allow your visitors in?"

"Yes, please," answered Hermione.

Soon, the room was bustling with Mama and Papa Krum, Adrian, Blaise, Coach Ivanov, Olivia, and Graham and Abigail Montague.

As little Sasha was passed between the visitors, Hermione smiled at the people she considered to be her family.

Marcus, eyeing his wife leaned down to whisper in her ear, "What are you thinking about Mina?"

Not taking her eyes off the people in her room and her son, she leaned her head on Marcus' shoulder and said, "I'm thinking about how fortunate our son is to be surrounded by so much love. He's never going to know the heartache we felt because these people will make sure he knows he is always loved if something were to ever happen to us." Biting her lip, she looked up at Marcus. "Marcus?"

"Yeah?" he asked looking down at her with concern.

"How do you feel about having more children?" she asked him uncertainly. "I know we were both only children, but I always wished I had at least one sibling."

Marcus looked down at his wife, searching her eyes. Finally he smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "I like it. I always wanted a brother or sister as well so I wouldn't always be alone."

"That makes me happy," she said snuggling back into her husband, his arm wrapped around her.

11 months later, on November 15, 1999, Peter Marcus Flint-Krum was born, followed by Theresa (Tessa) Hope Flint-Krum on July 23, 2004.

Most people thought Alex and Peter were twins with their tall, muscular builds and dark brown straight hair. However, where Alex's hair laid flat, Peter's refused to lay flat and stuck up in all directions. The shared near identical smirks as well. They were the spitting images of their respective fathers and if it weren't for their hair, Mama Krum would get them mixed up just like she had their fathers. Tessa was the spitting image of her mother with curly brown hair, a spattering of freckles, and golden brown eyes that radiated her emotions.

All three Flint-Krum children were exceptionally studious, ranking the top of their respective years at Durmstrang. Hermione and Marcus had decided to send the children there rather than Hogwarts. The first reason was because it now focused not on performing the Dark Arts, but rather understanding them so they could be used to defeat and discourage another evil megalomaniac. The second reason was because they did not want their children being subjected to the offspring of the narrow-minded Weasley's and others in the Wizarding UK.

The boys were happy and boisterous, unlike their parents, however it became apparent that their personalities were greatly influenced by Mama Krum. They both excelled like their fathers in Quidditch. Alex took after his father and became a world-class Seeker. Peter followed in his father's footsteps and was one of the most aggressive Chasers to ever step on a pitch. Thankfully, he wasn't as ruthless as Marcus. They never let the popularity go to their heads though and were well liked by students and professors alike.

Tessa was quieter and more subdued. As a first year, she could be found most often in the library with her nose in a book, just like her mother. Most of her classmates had thought her a bookworm and ignored her in school. However, when the tiny witch walked out onto the Quidditch pitch for tryouts in her second year, most of her classmates had scoffed at the dainty witch trying out for Keeper. Alex and Peter had quietly smirked and sat back to watch the show. Tessa did not disappoint her brothers and soon, all of Durmstrang was singing the praises of their new unstoppable Keeper.

The first year an Inter-scholastic Quidditch League was started amongst the European schools, Durmstrang's team sported all three Flint-Krum siblings and they dominated the league.

When the three graduated, they all went on to play Quidditch professionally, knowing they had their NEWTs to fall back on when they decided to hang up their professional brooms. Tessa very rarely let any Quaffles through the hoops and held the title for fewest goals allowed for a game and a season. Alex often threatened to give his mother heart attacks when he performed his father's famous Wronski Feint. He held the titles of most Snitches caught in a season, and quickest Snitch caught (3 seconds). Then there was Peter. He had his nose broken so many times, it now matched his father's. He also held the record for most goals in a game and a season. In 2022, all three Flint-Krum stars made the Bulgarian National team and lead the team to the World Cup Title at the ages of 23, 22, and 18 respectively.

*END FLASHBACK*

Hermione took a deep breath as she felt the dual winds whip around her again. She thought back to the people she had once called friends.

She had heard that Ron had gotten Lavender Brown pregnant, not once, but four times! However, Mrs. Weasley was the one raising the children since Ron refused to marry Lavender. He insisted he didn't want to be tied down. The only reason he hadn't been fired after the incident with Hermione was because of his status as one of the Golden Trio and a war hero. Over the next few years, there were several formal complaints regarding his behavior. Those complaints, along with his refusal to marry Lavender after their second child was born, pushed the Auror Supervisor to finally fire Ron for behavior unbefitting of an Auror.

Harry finally came to his senses and called off his engagement to Ginny, eventually marrying an American witch who he met while traveling after the break up. He and Hermione kept in touch, but their friendship was never what it once had been. Ginny ended up unhappily married to Cormac McLaggen after he got her pregnant. The two hated each other, but had no choice because their parents forced the issue. Arthur, continued to work with Adrian and Blaise, and was an honorary grandfather to the Flint-Krum kids. When he retired, he moved to Bulgaria and became good friends with the Krums. The kids loved showing him the latest muggle devices they had and he doted on them as if they were his blood relations. While he was not allowed to divorce Mrs. Weasley, he was able to separate from her legally and he happily lived out his days with the Flint-Krums.

A tear escaped her eye and she wiped it away as she looked down at the grave stones in front of her. One by one, she laid a simple bouquet of flowers under each name.

 ** _Arthur Weasley_**

 _Honored Friend and Hero_

 ** _Stefan Peter Krum_**

 _Honored Husband, Father, Friend, and Mentor_

 ** _Theresa Sofia Krum_**

 _Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, and Friend_

 ** _Viktor Alexander Stefan Krum_**

 _Beloved Son, Father, and Friend_

 _Honored Hero._

 ** _Marcus Flint-Krum_**

 _Beloved Husband and Father_

 _Honored Friend_

The last grave stone was the hardest for Hermione. It was still fresh as they had just laid him to rest the day before.

"Oh Marcus. Viktor. Just look at your family over there on the manor lawns. Your twin great-great-grandchildren were born within an hour of you passing through the veil, Marcus. They were named Viktor and Marcus. It's such an honor to have you two remembered in such a wonderful way." She briefly wiped another escaped tear from her cheek. "I can feel you two, you know that? Standing here. I feel you both flying past me in the wind. You both taught me to love and to trust again and your love radiates through your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and now your great-great-grandchildren. I miss you both so much, but I'm going to stay here for a bit longer. I don't think I'm done yet. I will see you soon enough though. I love you both, my loves." With that, she kissed her fingers and held them towards the gravestones.

"Mum?" called Tessa behind her. "It's time for dinner."

"Thank you Tessa. I'm ready to go now," she said as she turned towards her daughter. Tessa held out an arm to her mother and the two witches walked back to Krum Manor.

As soon as they left the cemetery, two separate winds flew around them, whipping their cloaks around. Tessa burst out laughing and called out to the wind, "I love you Daddy and Papa!" Then quieter she lifted her head to the winds and murmured, "I'll watch over her. We'll all see you when the time comes. Don't cause too much trouble now that you're flying through the skies together again. I'll join you in the skies tomorrow with Alex and Peter. Good-bye for now."

Hermione smiled to herself and patted her daughter's hand as they walked across the lawns towards the rest of the Flint-Krum family.


End file.
